To the editor,
Today, nearly one in five South Dakotans has been forced to take on medical debt, with many having to ration or skip life-saving medications due to spiraling costs. Profiteering Big Pharma companies lie at the center of this medication price crisis, with drug makers prioritizing shareholder profits over patients. Corporate lobbyists are trying to make these prices even higher. Big Pharma is working to get Congress to pass the “EPIC Act,” legislation designed to stop President Trump from gaining the authority to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies and reduce the prices of prescriptions. That means Americans will be stuck paying more money for medications they need to manage debilitating and life-threatening conditions. President Trump’s inner circle recognizes what’s at stake; ignoring affordability, especially the cost of prescriptions, is political malpractice. One of his top pollsters found that a vast majority of Americans – including 72% of Trump supporters – want the government to negotiate directly with drugmakers.
This presents a clear choice for Senate Majority Leader John Thune. As a seasoned policymaker who has long championed rural health, Senator Thune understands that access means nothing if the price is unaffordable. Given his control over the Senate’s agenda, Thune possesses the decisive influence to stop the EPIC Act and protect Medicare’s negotiating power.
Leader Thune has fought for every day South Dakotans throughout his career. Now, he must work with President Trump to ensure Big Pharma’s scheme to gut cost-saving measures is stopped before it begins. The people of South Dakota are watching, and Leader Thune must deliver for them and help President Trump lower prescription drug prices.
Fred Deutsch
Florence
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