Throughout my more than forty years as a pharmacist, I have seen first-hand the impacts that increased health care consolidation, lack of price transparency, and unnecessary red tape have on patients, who should not have to sacrifice gas or groceries to pay for vital medications. That is why I am dedicated to advancing a health care system that provides accessible, affordable, and quality care for all patients.
Improving America’s health care system requires transparency and competition. Health care prices are hidden behind layers of bureaucracy, leaving patients in the dark. Harmful consolidation has resulted in higher prices, decreased quality of care, and worse health outcomes for Americans. By empowering patients and employers to shop for health care and have access to accurate information about the cost of care, treatment, and services, we can bring medical costs down across the board.
Fentanyl is a hidden crisis plaguing our nation. We are losing hundreds of people per day in this country due to fentanyl poisonings, and many do not know they’ve taken a lethal dose of fentanyl until it is too late. This ongoing fentanyl poisoning crisis must be urgently addressed, which is why we must permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, which will equip law enforcement with the necessary tools to save lives. We must also increase access to opioid reversal agents, such as naloxone, and support access to resources to help Americans who want to overcome their substance use disorder.
Strengthening our domestic pharmaceutical supply chain so that we are less dependent on adversarial countries, like China, for essential medicines is a national security priority. We must promote American-made medicines. This is one step towards increasing reliable access to critical medications. In this vein, I am also a strong advocate for increasing patients’ access to telehealth, which will help patients, particularly seniors and those in rural areas, access timely, high-quality health care.
By working with colleagues across the aisle on common sense legislation, we can and will continue to improve the lives of Americans across the country.
To see legislation I am currently working on click
here.
Read my report on Pharmacy Benefit Manager abuses
here.
