The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
BREAKING GROUND
To hold first Multicultural Unity Day; set for Sept. 21 Track great Ron Livers, former Times Herald reporter Oscar Gamble
NORRISTOWN >> Norristown-NAACP is staging its First Annual 5k Run/ Walk on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 8 a.m. Check in begins at 6:30 a.m.
The 5k Run/Walk will be held at Elmwood Park and the grounds of the Norristown State Hospital.
The purpose is to bring awareness, love and unity within the Norristown community.
The NAACP has partnered with Elmwood Zoo and ACLAMO Family Center to capture some of the fun and diversity which is Norristown.
Community businesses, Social Services, crafters and food vendors will be present with valuable information and delicacies for any palette.
There will also be several entertainment acts including A Step Above the Rest featuring Sammy Baker; Kent Grantham; Sammy Jones; Harvey Perry, and Austin Marlow; DJ Steve Ferguson; Rich Flow (Poet and Lyricist); Danavia Williams (singer); Jason Hayes (Singer); Ian Corley (Singer); Super Hero Robots and Face Painters (Sponsored by ACLAMO Family Centers); Norristown Area High School Jazz Royales and Norristown Area High School Drum Line.
Children’s Author and Norristown native Arlene Gordon will be there for story-time and book signing for her book “Blue Bird and Friends -Recycling Adventures for Children,” Yoga by Sol Yoga Studio (Conshohocken); Line Dancing and so much
partner, Matthew, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 7 years old. Because of catching the flu a couple years ago, he used up his allotted supply of insulin and went to a local drug store two days before his prescription could be renewed. When a diabetic is sick they need more insulin to regulate their blood sugar, she said. The pharmacist refused to refill his prescription. It would cost $1,500 out-of-pocket, while with his insurance he pays $82 a month. When he asked for samples to bridge the 48-hour gap, the pharmacist told him to call his doctor or go to a local clinic. His doctor’s office told him to ask the drug store, she said. And the local clinic might not have the specific kind of the drug he needed.
In desperation, Matthew ended up going on Craig’s List to find his medicine and paid $20 to someone whose uncle no longer needed it. The exchange was made in a Wawa parking lot.
“He took this risk because not all insulins are the same,” she said. “He needed the insulin his doctor prescribed. Not all insulins are interchangeable. It is dangerous to switch insulins without consulting a doctor and monitoring it closely.”
While insulin might be the poster child for increased drug prices, other medicines have also seen higher price tags. Various representatives of the healthcare industry also testified to the committee, including a doctor, a representative for companies that make generic medicines, a representative of the pharmaceutical care management association and one from the health insurance association.
“The single most remarkable common denominator is that economics should not be the driving factor in in how I provide care for my patients,” said Dr. Kevin Caputo, a psychiatrist and president and chief of behavior health at Crozer-Keystone Health System. “Rising prescription costs in particular have put patient care in a strangle hold. And it needs to be controlled.”
He gave an example of an older woman, “your mother,” who is not compliant with her doctor’s recommendations. She has to ration her medications, sometimes doesn’t fill her prescriptions or refills because her electric bill was too high or groceries went up. She may have to choose between her blood pressure pills or her migraine medicine. Maybe she is on several prescriptions, as many elderly people are and “taking all her needed meds is simply outside her ability to pay.”
While drugs might be affordable individually, when a patient is taking multiple medications it can run to thousands of dollars, Caputo said.
“And the promise of generic pricing is a fallacy,” he said. They might be 5 or 10 percent cheaper, but that is not enough, he said. Many insurance plans have drug formulas that are cheaper for employers but “patients and their doctors have to make second-best decisions,” he said. And pre-authorization can take a lot of time. The results of noncompliance can be illness or a relapse.
“It doesn’t take long for the health of an elderly person to spiral downward very, very quickly,” he said.
Americans spend about $1,200 a year on prescription drugs, said Rep. Mike Zabel, D-163 of Upper Darby.
“This is more than any other developed country in the world,” he said. “The prices of these drugs continue to rise at an astronomical rate. And it is simply unsustainable.”
“This is public health crisis,” he added. “People’s lives are being put in danger. Health care is a human right and no one should be forced to choose between their medicine and their dinner, between their health and heating their homes. It is time for us to act.”
Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26 of Swarthmore, agreed that health care is a right.
“We need to ensure this right is provided for all,” he said. “Health insurance plans can’t make the cost of insulin prohibitive for the patients whose lives depend on it.”
The bill he envisions would ensure transparency for companies that produce insulin.
Sen. Katie Muth, D-44 of Montgomery County, said there are other costs for diabetic patients beyond insulin and that some of her constituents have had to order insulin from other countries.
“It’s criminal that people have to make these really hard decisions,” Muth said.
Patrick Keenan, with the Pennsylvania Health Access Network, said that one in five Pennsylvanians did not fill a prescription because of cost. And 12 percent have “used up most of their savings for prescription drugs.”
“Pennsylvanians are also calling on law makers to take action,” he said, noting that other states have passed laws to make prescription drugs more affordable.
Zabel compared the situation with prescription drugs to utilities, which are regulated.
“You hear a lot of explanations,” he said. “Somebody is making money on the backs of human lives.”
“Poll numbers show this is an issue that everybody grew just 0.4 percent last is behind…It is time to fix year.” it. Every single one of my “Unfortunately, it constituents has a story.” doesn’t feel that way for
Zabel added, “You’ve invited patients who are seeing us into your business their out-of-pocket costs with these cost increases. go up as insurers and other It is going to be fixed come middlemen continue to hell or high water … The shift more and more off days of these wild profiteering their costs onto patients will end.” through high deductibles
Meanwhile, drug companies and increased use of coinsurance,” have been taking McGee said. steps to help patients who “On average, 40 percent can’t afford their medications. of the list price of medicines For example, an industry is given as rebates group, PhRMA introduced or discounts to insurance mat.org, a website companies, the government, where consumers pharmacy benefit can go for assistance. Eli managers and other entities Lilly, Sanofi and Novo in the supply chain Nordisk also have websites (that) often require large where they offer assistance rebates in order for a medicine patients with diabetes: to be covered. These https://www.lilly. rebates and discounts exceeded com/diabetessolutioncenter; $166 billion in 2018 https://www.novonordisk-us.com/perspectives/ alone and are growing every year. Yet these discounts affordability_remain.html; don’t always make and https://www.admelog. their way to patients to com/insulins-valyou-savings-program lower their costs at the pharmacy counter. We believe
Nick McGee, director of that when these negotiations public affairs for PhRMA, are happening in disagreed that manufacturers the marketplace, patients are the source of should be benefiting.” higher costs and said that Later Zabel said the bill the cost of the most popular is still being crafted and form of insulin is actually has not yet been introduced. lower now than in 2010. However, consumers “It was initially conceived may not see savings solely as a cap on though, because their insurance insulin co-pays,” he said. companies shift “However, as we have more costs to them and delved further into our investigation benefit managers may not of prescription pass savings along to patients. drug prices, we’ve found that there may be other
“Net prices for brand areas for potential action medicines grew just 0.3 as well with the coming percent in 2018, less than bill. We’re working with the rate of inflation,” he Rep. (Jeanne) McNeill, said. “And spending on Sen. Muth, and Sen. Kearney medicines for one of the to fashion a bill that nation’s largest pharmacy will address the problem in benefit managers (PBMs) a broad, meaningful way.”