[Occupymendocino] Drug prices hike in 2020

[Richard Karch]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/1/2/1909015/-Drug-companies-celebrate-2020-with-price-hikes?detail=emaildkre

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Confident in their ability to keep Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell on their side and protecting them no matter what they do, a bevy of drugmakers have celebrated the new year with price hikes <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-drugpricing-exclusive/exclusive-drugmakers-from-pfizer-to-gsk-to-hike-u-s-prices-on-over-200-drugs-idUSKBN1YZ1C4> on more than 200 prescription drugs.

That's from information from the drugmakers themselves and from a healthcare research firm called 3 Axis Advisors. Among the companies raising prescription drug prices are Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi. The price hikes are almost entirely under 10%, showing a modicum of control by the companies, falling mostly in the range of 4-6%. More price increases from more companies are expected to be announced by the end of this week.

This against the backdrop <https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/31/792617538/a-decade-marked-by-outrage-over-drug-prices> of a citizenry increasingly angered by a decade of price hikes; curbing those costs tops voters’ concerns <https://craftmediabucket.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/AV-Summary-of-Polling-Project_052119_FINAL.pdf> in polling on healthcare issues. Fully one-quarter of people taking prescription drugs report <https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-february-2019-prescription-drugs/> that the cost of drugs makes it difficult to afford them, and 10% say it is "very difficult" to afford them.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are working together to block legislation passed by House Democrats <https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/12/12/1905242/-House-Democrats-pass-bill-to-lower-prescription-drug-costs-dramatically-improve-Medicare> to lower prescription drug prices and to keep drug companies from charging Americans more than people pay for drugs in other countries. That's not a good look for Republicans. Nor is it a good look for Big Pharma. 

It is, however, one more element in what is a very strong case for Democrats in 2020.

Republicans don't care about your health care. They've got to go. Please give $1 to help Democrats in each of these crucial Senate races! <https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dkendorses2020senate?refcode=20200102JM1>

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