Letter To the Editor: Join Us to Learn about the New York Health Act

To the Editor:

Last month one of the most trusted pharmaceutical companies in our country, Johnson and Johnson, was found by a court in Oklahoma to be liable for its contribution to the opioid crisis. The court ordered the corporation to pay the State of Oklahoma nearly half a billion dollars. Other pharmaceutical companies are in the headlines for playing games with patent protections or unjustifiably raising prices on life saving drugs.

I have a personal interest in the issue of drug costs. I am a cancer patient and a retiree. I rely on Medicare, supplemental insurance and a Part D drug plan to obtain a life-saving medication for an incurable blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. I am lucky to have these supports, but my copays end up being over $800 a month. Each year that I have used this medication, the copay has gone up at least twice. This run-away cost profile isn’t sustainable for me or for many other Myeloma patients I have met.

Fortunately, the State of New York is considering a fundamental solution to the problem of drug prices and the cost of care generally. The New York Health Act is a comprehensive single-payer plan that will provide better health care, better overall coverage, and lower costs.

Come learn about this proposal at the New York Health Act Forum on Thursday, September 26^th from 7 to 8:30 PM at the Ossining Public Library.  Speakers will include  state Senator Gustavo Rivera, a co-sponsor of the bill, Katie Robbins of the Campaign for New York Health, and a Peter Arno, a health care economist.

Maddie Hunter, on behalf of the Health Committee, CCoHOPE Indivisible