Mainers share how much they pay for medication, call on Sen. Collins to take a stand

At polls across Maine on Tuesday, hundreds of voters spoke with health care advocates and signed pledge cards calling on Sen. Susan Collins to do more to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Many Mainers punctuated their message by sharing how much they pay each month for their prescriptions, often totaling thousands of dollars.

Volunteers with the Maine People’s Alliance (of which Beacon is a project) spoke with hundreds of voters, many of whom expressed frustration with the amount that pharmaceutical companies have profited from the recent Republican tax cuts, in addition to the inflated drug prices.

Multiple people in Amy’s family have diabetes. She pays $1500 / month to cover the cost of insulin. For Amy’s family, and so many like hers, we need lower drug prices now! #LowerDrugPrices4ME #mepolitics pic.twitter.com/IR8ODuIEmn — Esther Pew (@esther_pew) March 3, 2020

The cost of prescription drugs has soared in recent years, with Americans paying far more for drugs than residents of other wealthy countries. In Maine in 2017, over a third of residents said they stopped taking their medications as prescribed due to cost, according to a 2019 report from the AARP. Drug prices in the state skyrocketed by almost 60 percent between 2012 and 2017.

At the polls on Tuesday, Biddeford resident Adrianna shared that she pays $2000 each month for her medication, which includes EpiPens.

Adrianna from Biddeford pays $2,000 for her medications monthly – her epipen, antipsychotic medication, inhaler, and imitrex. We need lower drug prices now! #lowerdrugprices4ME pic.twitter.com/DrrSCBHGMv — Esther Pew (@esther_pew) March 3, 2020

Pharmaceutical companies received billions of dollars in tax breaks as a result of the 2017 GOP tax overhaul that Collins cast a decisive vote to pass. Many of those companies that saw tax reductions continued to raise prices.

Since 2008, Collins has received over $25,000 in donations from Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories, which have collectively reaped $7 billion in tax savings.

Collins has often touted her role as a founder of the Senate Diabetes Caucus and convservative groups have run ads on her behalf touting her stance on prescription drugs. Local health advocates, however, have criticized the senator for failing to pass meaningful legislation to address the high cost of insulin and have questioned her acceptance of $5,000 in contributions from manufacturer Eli Lily.

Last December, the U.S. House passed H.R. 3, a landmark health care bill that would allow Medicare to leverage its power as the nation’s biggest coverage provider to bargain down drug prices. Also called the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, the sweeping legislation passed largely along party lines.

Maine health care advocates are calling on Collins and independent Sen. Angus King to support a Senate version of the House bill.

Top photo: Lewiston resident Lance holding up a whiteboard showing how much he pays for his medications, including insulin. | Carrie Jadud