Title
Prescription Drug Affordability Initiative - For the purpose of supporting the goals of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative and calling on the State of Maryland to implement its three commonsense ideas to improve our citizens' access to essential prescription drugs.
Body
CITY COUNCIL OF THE
City of Annapolis
Resolution 3-18
Introduced by: Alderman Rodriguez, Mayor Buckley, Alderman Savidge,
Alderwoman Tierney, Alderman Arnett and Alderwoman Henson
A RESOLUTION concerning
Prescription Drug Affordability Initiative
FOR the purpose of supporting the goals of the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative and calling on the State of Maryland to implement its three commonsense ideas to improve our citizens' access to essential prescription drugs.
WHEREAS, to protect our lives and our well-being, every family in Maryland requires access to affordable prescription drugs; and
WHEREAS, skyrocketing costs are making some medicines virtually inaccessible to our families and neighbors; and
WHEREAS, overall drug prices increased almost 9% in 2016 while general inflation increased just over 2% in the same period, and since 2013 drug prices have risen an average of 10% annually but inflation has only increased 1.2% on average since 2013; and
WHEREAS, prescription drug spending accounted for over 22% of each health insurance premium dollar in 2014, and nearly a quarter of people in their deductible period never picked up their prescriptions from the pharmacy, presumably because of the cost; and
WHEREAS, there are pharmacy benefit managers who reportedly ban pharmacists from discussing lower-priced drug choices with their patients; and
WHEREAS, Maryland should continue to lead the Nation in addressing the affordability of prescription drugs, building on the State's landmark 2017 legislation banning price gouging by manufacturers of generic and off-patent drugs.
WHEREAS, a broad coalition of State and local activists are working to support the Maryland C...
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