There’s a bill in Congress that Ohio Democrats say would help lower the price of prescription drugs. Some state representatives here are pushing to get it passed.
In 2019, the Democrat-led Congress passed a bill to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices. It went nowhere. But John Kennedy, who advocates on behalf of fellow diabetics, says it must be done. He notes the vial of insulin he would have paid $25 for two decades ago is now ten times that much.
“It would cost me between $250 and $350. That’s outrageous," Kennedy says.
Kennedy says people often ration drugs to make them last longer, putting their health at risk in the process.
Rep Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) says Ohio can do some things to lower drug prices but says it is up to Congress to do the heavy lifting. But Republicans in Congress say the caps imposed by the bill amount to government intrusion in the free market.