As the November general election draws near and ads for and against Issue 2, the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act, flood the airwaves, questions about the issue mount. The Ohio Academy of Family Physicians has added a resource page to its website on Issue 2, a measure that would require the state of Ohio to pay the same or lower prices for prescription drugs as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The resource page houses links to articles and videos presenting the arguments on both sides of the issue. This is a good place to refer patients who may have questions.
Per action taken at the OAFP Board of Directors meeting on August 13, the OAFP released the following statement on Issue 2, the Drug Price Relief Act:
Multiple times every day family physicians encounter patients who are unable to afford the prescription medications needed to restore or maintain their health. Family physicians, being on the front lines of patient care, hear the horror stories about single pills that cost hundreds of dollars. The high cost of prescriptions is a critical issue for our patients, and therefore, for us—but it is an issue that the U.S. Congress and the Ohio General Assembly has failed to address.
On August 13, the OAFP voted to support Issue 2, the Drug Price Relief Act, because we know something must be done so that Ohioans can afford and have access to needed medications. This initiated statute is far from perfect, simplistic, and flawed in many respects, and may not be the best approach for addressing high drug costs. But, because of the inaction of state and federal lawmakers, it is all we have. By supporting this issue, we hope to send a message to legislators—the exorbitant cost of medications and the negative impact those costs have on patients must be addressed.