Dr. Henry Jacobs, president of the Connecticut State Medical Society, says soaring prescription drug costs have forced many people to make difficult decisions.
“Twenty percent of cancer patients are choosing to die, rather than bankrupting their families by participating in programs of treatment that are completely unaffordable,” Jacobs said at a forum on the topic on Tuesday at the state Capitol in Hartford.
Connecticut Comptroller Kevin Lembo, who administers the state employee health plan, also spoke at the forum. He said he’s concerned that prescription drug prices are rising at a rate higher than overall healthcare costs.
“The patient's got nothing in this. We have everything to lose, and we have no ability to move the needle. The boat’s sinking. There’s no magic money that’s going to appear. We’ve got to do something.”
A spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says all stakeholders need to get together to work on bringing down prices, and that has been difficult to do.
This report contains information from CRN.
