OPINION: Virginia needs lower drug prices now

I read with interest about Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger’s plans for health care reform in Virginia. As a Virginian and a cancer survivor, lowering the cost of prescription drugs is deeply personal to me. While going through treatment, I nearly died without a pricey medication that my insurance wouldn’t cover. I spent a week in the hospital recovering. 

I’m fortunate that my insurance company covered that high cost drug for every additional chemotherapy session I endured, and extremely lucky now not to need that expensive medication after completing my treatments. 

Now, health care pricing is out of control and only getting worse. Already, Virginians spend 36% more than the national average on medications. Federal cuts to come will mean many more Virginians on high-deductible insurance plans, and others who opt not to have health insurance will spend even more. Even so, President Trump’s recent announcement of a 100% tariff on some imported prescription drugs could send prices even higher.

At the federal level, Medicare can finally negotiate lower prices for drugs (like the VA has always done), thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. But what about the rest of us who aren’t eligible for Medicare yet?

I’ve traveled to Richmond for two years in a row, asking my state legislators to support patient reforms to lower the cost of prescription drugs. It is long past time for the action that Virginians deserve.

Some states are making strides to protect the livelihoods and wallets of patients like me. We can’t afford to be left behind. Our neighbors in Maryland and other states like Colorado established Prescription Drug Affordability Boards (PDABs), and are on the brink of finally passing UPLs (upper payment limits) for high cost drugs. By setting these limits, both governments and patients will save– and more importantly, lives will be saved. When people like me go without medication, not everyone survives. 

For the last two years, our legislature answered the call, passing common sense bipartisan legislation to establish a PDAB. Yet twice in a row, our governor vetoed it. Whatever the results of the gubernatorial election in November, we will have a new chance to fight for more affordable prescriptions. I am hopeful that our next governor will take action like other state leaders, for patients, and also for Virginia taxpayers price-gouged by Big Pharma.

It’s understandable that pharmaceutical companies charge as much as the market will bear. They are for-profit entities that answer to their shareholders. But I am hopeful that our elected officials next year will remember that drugs don’t work if patients can’t afford them. They need to stand up to the pharmaceutical companies for Virginians like me.