Advocacy Through Legislation: Addressing The Problem Of Rising Prescription Drug Costs

Problem

Who is affected, and the current ramifications. Explain the consequences if the issue continues.

Rising costs of prescription drugs is a fast-growing menace across the State of Arizona and other places in the US. Growing prices of medicines lead to astronomical prices of health care, which is slowly becoming unaffordable in many households. The rates are attributed to manipulative pharmaceutical marketing, insurers shifting drug costs to consumers, lack of transparency in the supply chain, and the growing pharmaceutical monopoly power (Ahmad et al 2015). These factors, as a result, affect prices of insurance premiums, leading to high deductibles and as a result, causing increased out of pocket expenses for many health care users. Rising costs of prescription drugs mostly affect middle-class Americans who are not covered by Medicare or Medicaid and aging people in their 50s and 60s. Many people from Arizona whose finances cannot match skyrocketing drug prices often become medical bankrupt when faced with a severe illness.  The continued increasing cost of drugs will, with time, affect the consumption of non-health goods and services.

The idea for Addressing Solution

Outline your approach for addressing the issue and explain why legislation is the best course for advocacy.

Increasing drug prices can be tamed in several ways. One, to deflate the monopolistic power in drug manufacturing companies’ by establishing policies that regulate competition. Competition is a sure way to bring drug prices down. Secondly, drug manufacturers should be banned from overcharging consumers. This can be done by demanding manufacturers to explain the unjustifiable increase in drug prices. Again the formulation of a drug review commission mandated with the regulation of prescription drug prices would help in approving or rejecting drug prices as well as allowing the public to express their input and concerns to drug manufacturing companies. Legislative advocacy is essential in that it makes issues into laws that are abiding by all citizens and institutions.

Research the Issue

Perform research and compile information for your idea. Present substantive evidence-based findings that support your plan for addressing the problem (studies, research, and reports). Include any similar legislation introduced or passed in other states.

Evidence 1

Maryland state, in an attempt to regulate prescription drug prices,, came up with price gouging law. The law allows the state attorney general to prosecute drug manufacturers that engage in overcharging of noncompetitive off-patent or generic drug markets.

Maryland has also filed a bill that seeks to evaluate the affordability of certain drugs and set limits on how much the state and commercial health plans will pay.

Evidence 2

More than 25 states in the US are members of a multistate purchasing pool. The multistate pool gives the member states leverage in negotiating prices of commodities with manufacturers, including prescription drugs (Blumberg, 2011).  

Stakeholder Support

Discuss the stakeholders who would support the proposed idea and explain why they would be in support.

Stakeholder(s) Supporting 1

Center Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The reforms would lead to lowered costs of prescription drugs, and this would, in turn, reduce the spending of Medicaid and Medicare, thus increasing an even more comprehensive coverage of people under Medicaid and Medicare.

Stakeholder(s) Supporting 2

Insurance Industry

Reduced prices of prescription drugs would help lower the amount of health care, and this would, in turn, help reduce the costs of health insurance premiums. Low rates of health insurance premiums would be affordable to many consumers;. Thus, insurance on health care consumers would not only expand but also improve revenues for insurance companies.

Stakeholder Opposition

Discuss the stakeholders who would oppose the proposed idea. Explain why they would be in opposition and how you would prepare to debate or converse about these considerations.

Stakeholder(s) Opposed 1

Association For Accessible Medicine

The association for accessible medicine would significantly oppose the idea of price gouging because it interferes with the Dormant Commerce Clause and, as a consequence, would affect operations in other states.

Stakeholder(s) Opposed 2

Drug Manufacturers.

Drug manufacturers would be opposed to any idea that seeks to regulate their monopolistic powers in the prescription drugs market. Some of these measures, which involve finding justification in case of drug price increment, would significantly affect their profits.

Financial Incentives/Costs

Summarize the economic impact for the issue and the idea (added costs, cost savings, increased revenue, etc.). Provided support.

 Increasing prices of prescription drugs have affected many American households in adverse ways. Severe illnesses, which in many cases require unaffordable expensive drugs, often lead to medical bankruptcies. Some people result in taking extra jobs, skipping doses, cutting pills, which interfere with their chances of getting cured. Raised drug costs by the manufacturers and the sellers translate to high-profit margins on their side. If the government-owned, it rakes in a lot of revenue too. Having excellent and workable policies on drug manufacturing and dispensation cuts down the monopolization. In turn, the additional elevated prices are controlled, and the drugs become patient-affordable. Fair prices of medicines will go way further to help patients suffering from chronic conditions like diabetes and blood pressure afford their medication for prolonged periods (Ilavska et al,2010, p 66-67).

 Legislature: Information Needed and Process for Proposal

Discuss how to advocate for your proposal using legislation. Include the following:

Provide the name and complete contact information for the legislator.

Ann Kirkpatrick (D)

309 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2542

Describe the steps for how you would present this to your legislator.

The team develops a communication network that works to help in the mobilization process.

Cultivating publicity which is very useful for advocacy through press releases, press conferences, and other segments like stories you write.

With publicity, every member should personally engage their legislator.

I am paying frequent visits to the office of the legislator to develop a relationship with influential legislators.

Building a special caucus that deals with the issue of legislation regulating prescription drug prices.

Planning meet ups between the legislators and needy patients who have been affected by the high prices of prescription drugs.

I am educating the legislators on how their actions affect patients.

I am paying attention to the issue of prescription drugs and mounting pressure to the legislator through visits to their office until the problem is addressed.

Outline the process if your legislator chooses to introduce your idea as a bill to Congress.

Anybody can come up with ideas to be formulated as a bill. After the approach on how to address rising prices of prescription drugs has been developed and the text of the law has been written. The legislator can introduce the bill any time the house is in session. A proposal has to be determined whether it is a private or a public statement. A private law affects specific individuals and organizations. Public laws affect the general public.

The legislator introduces the bill as a sponsor, and legislators tend to seek support for the bill in the order it might turn into law. Other legislators who support are called sponsors.

After the bill has been placed in the Ropper and a billing clerk has assigned the law a number.

In the first reading, the title of the bill is read and assigned to a committee for the markup. The congress library receives an electronic copy of the statement to be posted on the congress website, bill search.

Congress has 19 house standing committees with jurisdiction over various matters.  The bill is assigned to the relevant committee; its put on the committee calendar.

The bill is debated on a committee level; on this level, it may or may not receive changes — committee votes on the legislation after discussing. If a bill is not tabled (deemed unwise or unnecessary), it is referred to a subcommittee for further studies or sent back to the floor of the house.

 On the floor, the bill is debated upon.

The second reading of the bill is done, and here amendments may be done.

The bill is read a third time, and the house is ready to vote on the bill.

 The bill is read by title only and put to the vote.

A bill passes by getting the majority votes where it’s sent to the sent for a similar process.

If the bill passes in the senate, then it’s enrolled and sent to the president for signature.

The president may veto a bill if he deems it unwise and unnecessary or signs it and it becomes law(Murdaugh, 2018).

Christian Principles and Nursing Advocacy

In no more than 250 words, discuss how principles of a Christian worldview lend support to legislative advocacy in health care without bias. Be specific as to how these principles help advocate for inclusiveness and positive health outcomes for all populations, including those more vulnerable, without regard to gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, religion/belief, etc.

Christian teachings uphold the principles of abundance, community, and humanity. Improper access to healthcare due to factors like increased prices of prescription drugs inhibits the law of abundance. The advocacy for the legislation to regulate prices of drugs would lower the cost of drugs and make healthcare accessible to many if not all Americans. According to Christian teachings, everyone should be his or her brother’s keeper. In this case, nurses should help in pushing for legislative activities that would help in reducing the cost of drugs (Hall,2012). Human dignity should always be upheld, and drug manufacturing companies place profits before humans. Health advocacy through legislation is aimed at restoring the position of humanity as it has always been in good old Christian times.