Friend,

Billion-dollar pharmaceutical corporations have been jacking up prices, hitting people 65 and older the hardest.

Prescription drug prices for the most common conditions suffered by seniors have increased 40% since 2009, while Social Security has remained nearly flat.(1) Medicare premiums for prescription drug prices rose nearly 15% this year -- twice the rate of inflation -- to cover these price increases.(2)

Big Pharma is taking advantage of the U.S.’s seniors, and Congress isn’t doing anything to stop it. President Biden has put forth a plan to let Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices and provide relief from skyrocketing prescription prices, and Congress needs to act. Courage California has joined the Coalition on Human Needs to call on Congress to take care of our seniors!

Tell Congress to rein in ballooning prescription drug prices for seniors now!

Every day, 10,000 people turn 65, and the U.S. is just not doing enough to care for our aging population.

Most seniors on Medicare live on a fixed income, and 25% are living below the federal poverty line.(3) The average Social Security payment is just $1,658.(4) And out-of-pocket prescription costs for the average Medicare enrollee takes up a ridiculous 12% of their income.(5)

That’s why this year, 15 million seniors will skip taking their prescriptions due to cost, and 112,000 retirees will die from not being able to afford their medications.(6,7)

Big Pharma records more profit than almost any other industry, making hundreds of billions of dollars on medications that we can’t afford not to buy.(8) Congress must protect seniors from this vulture industry.

Join us in calling on Congress to pass common-sense legislation to rein in prescription drug prices for seniors!

Yours in the fight for health care for all,

Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Mai, Mai, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team)

Footnotes:
1. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/07/out-of-pocket-drug-costs-for-medicare-beneficiaries-need-to-be-reined-in/
2. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/07/out-of-pocket-drug-costs-for-medicare-beneficiaries-need-to-be-reined-in/
3. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/07/out-of-pocket-drug-costs-for-medicare-beneficiaries-need-to-be-reined-in/
4. https://www.cnbc.com/select/heres-how-much-the-average-social-security-check-is/
5. https://www.cnbc.com/select/heres-how-much-the-average-social-security-check-is/
6. https://www.westhealth.org/press-release/an-estimated-15-5-million-adults-under-65-went-without-medication-due-to-high-drugs-costs-latest-west-health-gallup-study-shows/
7. https://www.statnews.com/2022/01/07/out-of-pocket-drug-costs-for-medicare-beneficiaries-need-to-be-reined-in/
8. https://www.newsweek.com/big-pharma-companies-profits-industries-study-1490407