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Take action TODAY for legislation to lower prescription drug prices!

March 26 , 2019

Dear friend,

Illinois patients and seniors need your help to lower prescription drugs. Drug companies are making huge profits by hiking up the prices on prescription drug

A recent poll showed that in Illinois, 27% of families said they had skipped filling a prescription in the last year because of the high costs of prescriptions.
 
(See the Take Action section further down, for how you can help by filing witness slips in favor of bills in the Illinois legislature!)
 
Nationally, 1 in 4 users of insulin have had to ration their medication because of high cost. For example, in 1996, a vial of insulin cost $21 ($34 in 2019 dollars). Now, the exact same medicine costs $300! This exorbitant price hike is not due to any new research. And competition among drug manufacturers is not helping – competitors are simply raising their prices in lock step.
 
Why is this happening? Why are pharmaceutical companies hiking prices far higher than just what inflation would account for? Big Pharma is a huge lobby working day and night to protect the financial interests of pharmaceutical companies, at the expense of patients’ health and the public health. Pharmaceutical companies are hiking prices because they can! It’s time to fight back and get control of Rx prices!
 
In Illinois, we have an unprecedented opportunity to pass legislation that would create greater oversight and transparency on drugs, and that would help reduce the cost of drugs.
 
That is why CCHCC is joining the fight for affordable prescription drugs! Learn more about what’s happening in IL, and about our efforts.
 
Donate to support our Rx pricing legislative efforts.
 
TAKE ACTION
 
Take Action today to prevent Big Pharma from taking advantage of patients! File a Witness Slip TODAY for these 4 critical bills:
 
(see further below for instructions on how to fill out the witness slips)

HB53 (Flowers): Make manufacturers explain why they raise prices.
HB53 would require drug makers to provide justification for price increases above a certain threshold. This mirrors similar legislation passed recently in Oregon, Nevada, Connecticut, and other states.

File witness slip here.

HB 1441 (Moeller): Allow for importation of safe, low-cost drugs from Canada.
Federal law (21 USC 384) allows states to create programs to import safe and affordable drugs from Canada. This proposal, which follows a new law signed in Vermont last year, will direct IDPH to create such a program.

File witness slip here.
 
HB 2880 (Guzzardi): Fine drug companies for excessive price hikes.
Under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, drugmakers pay Medicaid the difference between their yearly price increases and the price of inflation. This bill would create a fine on that same amount, deterring manufacturers from engaging in price gouging and creating a revenue stream to fund interventions for lowering drug costs.

File witness slip here.
 
HB 3493 (Guzzardi): Create a board to oversee drug price increases.
The Illinois Commerce Commission regulates utilities to keep them from abusing their monopoly power and jacking up prices. Similarly, HB 3493 would create a board to regulate drug price increases, so manufacturers can’t take advantage of patent monopolies to raise costs on sick people.

File witness slip here.
 
Witness slip instructions:
 
Step 1. Click on the links above to go to the witness slip for each bill.
 
Step 2. Complete Section I on the witness slip by providing your name, address, email, and phone number.
 
Step 3. Section II is for those of you who are representing organizations. If you are not filling out a witness slip for an organization, but just for yourself as a citizen of Illinois, just skip this section.
 
Step 4. Section III is where you indicate your Position on the particular bill. If you are supporting the bill, then you would click in the circle above Proponent.
 
Step 5. Section IV is for Testimony. If you are simply filling out a Witness Slip to indicate that you are a Proponent (supporter) of the bill, just click the last box that says “Record of Appearance Only”.
 
Step 6. Agree to terms of service by clicking the box on the bottom left.
 
Step 7. Submit your witness slip by clicking on the “Create Slip” button on the bottom right.
 
Thank you for taking action today! Stay tuned for more updates on Rx legislation.

Donate to support our Rx pricing legislative efforts

Sincerely,

Claudia Lennhoff
Executive Director
Champaign County Health Care Consumers