Husted rejects all 194,375 signatures on proposed drug price ballot issue
This past week I had a article published on National Pain Report http://nationalpainreport.com/why-do-my-medications-cost-so-much-8831321.html “Why Do My Medications Cost So Much?” and
I stated that middlemen take 25%-30% of the retail price to fund their infrastructure and profit motives.. This article states that the Veterans’ Administration hospital system pays $183 for Epipens that cost at the neighborhood pharmacy $608. Why is the VA able to buy it for so much less.. BECAUSE THERE IS NO MIDDLEMEN in getting the medication from the manufacturer to the pt.
Secretary of State Jon Husted yesterday rejected 194,375 signatures on a petition seeking to place a drug price control issue on the ballot next year.
The requirement is 91,677 valid signatures of registered voters to make the ballot.
Backers of the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act attempted to file 22 boxes of signatures on the petition, which proposes that state agencies would pay no more for drugs than U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, estimated at 40 percent lower than current prices. Backers say the act, if put into law, would have a positive spillover effect for consumers. Opponents counter that the move could backfire, forcing prices up and making some drugs less available.
Husted’s office refused to accept the signatures in line with a motion he filed with the Ohio Supreme Court earlier this week. Husted argues the court has not given approval to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the main sponsor, to proceed with the proposal as an initiated statute. The organization previously submitted signatures to place the issue on the ballot this year, but fell short after being challenged by attorneys for the powerful Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and Ohio Manufacturers’ Association.
Husted and the court previously invalidated thousands of signtures because of various improprieties.
The court has not made it clear, however, exactly what the next step should be for Drug Price Relief Act backers. As an initiated statue, it was first submitted to the General Assembly, which failed to take action within the four-month timeframe. At that point, the issue got snarled in the fight with Husted and PhRMA.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation immediately filed an emergency motion with the Ohio Supreme Court.
Tracy Jones, regional director for backers of the drug act, called Husted “a front man for Big Pharma, carrying water for a greedy, morally bankrupt industry that is one step above the tobacco industry in the eyes of the public.”
Jones cited costs of the Epi-pen as a example of potential savings. The manufacturer’s price is $608, but the Veterans Administration pays $183.
Filed under: General Problems
People in Ohio need to demonstrate in front of the Secretary of State’s Office ASAP and get this on the news while it’s still HOT.
I know that this blog is read nationally.
Anyone from Ohio that can organize this? If we sit back and do nothing we will keep on getting screwed. Are we not tired of getting screwed YET?