The sickest Americans face the biggest burden of high-cost drugs, according to a report by The New York Times and ProPublica. Pharmaceutical firms have raised prices on treatments for chronic or life-threatening conditions like cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis and insurers have then passed these costs on to consumers. This means many people are paying thousands of dollars each month just to get by. President Trump and congressional Democrats have vowed action to tackle the problem, but little has yet changed. Among the people whose stories are highlighted in the report is Saundra Johnson, 57, from Minneapolis. On a salary of under $20,000, Ms Johnson cannot afford the dozen medications she needs to treat her diabetes, congestive heart failure and other complications. Her 2017 Social Security disability income of $19,560 meant she was above the cutoff for extra government help for her prescriptions despite the vast majority of her income being accounted for – from food to health care fees. Medicare regulations mean she cannot use drug co-pay coupons, which are frequently used by those with private health cover. And Novo Nordisk, which sells her insulin, Novolog, and diabetes drug, Victoza, demands Medicare users first spend $1,000 on drugs each year before they can qualify for free drugs through their scheme. Ms Johnson does not have that $1,000 so ends up not taking some drugs for months until she reaches the threshold. “I prioritise the heart stuff over the insulin because the heart stuff is more immediate,” she says. In a statement, Novo Nordisk said it provided some types of insulin at lower cost, adding that Ms Johnson’s case was a reminder it needed to “continuously evaluate how we keep our support programs sustainable”. The report also cited multiple sclerosis sufferer Abigail Bostwick, 37, of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, who said she felt “truly hopeless” when she was diagnosed. Her and her husband drained their savings and sold many of their belongings to cover her medical costs. Diabetes patient Amanda Walker, 34, of Canada, Tennessee, had to ration her insulin after ending up unemployed. A nearby resident ended up offering her two insulin pens after she put out a plea on Facebook. She now gets subsidized healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, but fears what would happen if it is repealed. It also tells the story of Jonathan Yeagley, 61, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, who drives 390 miles into Memphis each month to buy Xeljanz to treat his son Jonathan’s alopecia areata, hair loss caused by an immune disorder. Medication is cheaper in Memphis, where a quasi-judicial body works to make sure drugs makers do not charge inflated prices.
The sickest Americans face the biggest burden of high-cost drugs, according to a report by The New York Times and ProPublica. Pharmaceutical firms have raised prices on treatments for chronic or life-threatening conditions like cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis and insurers have then passed these costs on to consumers. This means many people are paying thousands of dollars each month just to get by. President Trump and congressional Democrats have vowed action to tackle the problem, but little has yet changed. Among the people whose stories are highlighted in the report is Saundra Johnson, 57, from Minneapolis. On a salary of under $20,000, Ms Johnson cannot afford the dozen medications she needs to treat her diabetes, congestive heart failure and other complications. Her 2017 Social Security disability income of $19,560 meant she was above the cutoff for extra government help for her prescriptions despite the vast majority of her income being accounted for – from food to health care fees. Medicare regulations mean she cannot use drug co-pay coupons, which are frequently used by those with private health cover. And Novo Nordisk, which sells her insulin, Novolog, and diabetes drug, Victoza, demands Medicare users first spend $1,000 on drugs each year before they can qualify for free drugs through their scheme. Ms Johnson does not have that $1,000 so ends up not taking some drugs for months until she reaches the threshold. “I prioritise the heart stuff over the insulin because the heart stuff is more immediate,” she says. In a statement, Novo Nordisk said it provided some types of insulin at lower cost, adding that Ms Johnson’s case was a reminder it needed to “continuously evaluate how we keep our support programs sustainable”. The report also cited multiple sclerosis sufferer Abigail Bostwick, 37, of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, who said she felt “truly hopeless” when she was diagnosed. Her and her husband drained their savings and sold many of their belongings to cover her medical costs. Diabetes patient Amanda Walker, 34, of Memphis, Tennessee, had to ration her insulin after ending up unemployed. A nearby resident ended up offering her two insulin pens after she put out a plea on Facebook. She now gets subsidized healthcare through the Affordable Care Act, but fears what would happen if it is repealed. It also tells the story of Jonathan Yeagley, 61, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania, who drives 390 miles into Canada each month to buy Xeljanz to treat his son Jonathan’s alopecia areata, hair loss caused by an immune disorder. Medication is cheaper in Canada, where a quasi-judicial body works to make sure drugs makers do not charge inflated prices.