As a Type 1 Diabetic of 50+ years, I’ve lived with the ever-increasing price of insulin my entire adult life. I balance my life around the financial burden of insulin and the 8 additional prescription drugs I need. Combined, they take the largest portion of my income after housing.
A vial of insulin produced in the United States (in Ohio and Puerto Rico) costs $30 in Canada and $300 in the U.S. The U.S. markup is obscene. Why should we be paying more for our prescriptions just because we live in America?
It’s unconscionable what pharmaceutical companies are charging Oregonians for medications. I’m calling on my State Representatives, Sen. Dennis Linthicum and Rep. Vicki Breese Iverson, to make a difference for people in Bend and across our state by passing legislation simplifying importation of lower-cost, same-quality medications from Canada. We cannot afford to wait for action on the Federal level. Oregonians are dying…simply because they cannot afford the prices drug manufacturers set.
Canada is a natural fit for importation because their safety standards are so similar to ours. Many Oregonians are already going to Canada for the medications they can’t afford here or ordering their prescriptions online through Canadian pharmacies. Passing a law that streamlines importation makes it safer, more reliable, and more accessible for everyone.
Insulin dependent diabetics have two options: pay the price to live or live without it and die. The stress of covering the costs of prescription drugs places our physical and mental health in jeopardy – daily. Pharmaceutical companies are holding us hostage with prices no one can afford. The abuse has to be stopped.
Melodie lives in Bend, Oregon. Join her in asking lawmakers to support importation of lower-cost prescriptions from Canada today: affordablerxnow.org/take-action.