AARP Pennsylvania Leaders Call on Congress to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AARP Pennsylvania leaders today joined AARP state directors and volunteers from 33 states in Washington, D.C. to advocate for passage of federal legislation to lower prescription drug prices.

"The average annual cost of prescription drug treatment increased 57.8% between 2012 and 2017, while the annual income for Pennsylvanians only increased 10.4%," said AARP Pennsylvania State Director Bill Johnston-Walsh. "Today, we called on Pennsylvania's Senators and members of Congress to enact popular, bipartisan, commonsense solutions that will provide long overdue relief not just for older adults, but all Americans. It's time to address the root cause of the problem: the outrageously high list prices set by drug manufacturers."

The state AARP leaders met with Pennsylvania U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and Representatives Matthew Cartwright, Mike Doyle, Connor Lamb and Guy Reschenthaler, and asked them to vote for federal legislation that would lower drug prices. AARP has said four principles need to be included in any bill: a cap on out-of-pocket costs for seniors, a crackdown on drug prices and price increases, an increase in competition, and greater transparency.

In addition, AARP Pennsylvania is supporting state legislative reforms that address the high price of prescription drugs, including:  

• Limiting insurance copayments for expensive specialty tier drugs.
• Establishing the state's first-ever Prescription Drug Pricing Task Force.
• Requiring pharmaceutical companies to provide justifications for price increases to state officials.
• Exclude veterans benefits from PACE and PACENET income limits.
• Excluding savings bond principal and interest from PACE and PACENET income limits.
• Excluding a Social Security cost-of-living increase from PACE and PACENET program income limits.

To learn more about AARP's state and federal efforts to lower prescription drug prices, visit www.aarp.org/rx.

About AARP

AARP has 1.8 million members in Pennsylvania. Follow AARP Pennsylvania on Facebook at AARPPA and on Twitter @AARPPA.

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP Pennsylvania