Sen. King not only listened but shared ideas for dealing with Big Pharma

4 years ago

To the editor: 

I came to Presque Isle from Thomaston this week so I could join other AARP members in attending an important meeting with U.S. Sen. Angus King. We had an open and frank discussion about how the high cost of prescription drugs impacts us, our families and neighbors. I thank Sen. King for taking the time to listen and commit to investigating several issues we raised.

Sen. King observed that politicians are responsible to the public and we can serve as a counterforce to the tactics of Big Pharma. He listened for more than an hour and gave us action ideas. He shared with us that the United States is one of only two countries (the other being New Zealand) in the world that allows drug advertising. He recognized the strength of AARP’s work and urged us to hold politicians accountable.

It is time to pass bipartisan legislation to lower Rx prices across the country and it needs to happen this year. We know that the pharmaceutical industry will oppose such legislation as hard as they can, but we must fight harder. Americans pay more for their prescription drugs than anyone else in the world and this must come to an end — now. Let’s keep the momentum going and work together to succeed.

Pamela Corcoran
Thomaston