Protect Our Care & Small Business for America’s Future Release New Report As Part of Lower Rx Summer
Today, Protect Our Care is kicking off Week 7 of Lower Rx Summer with a report co-sponsored by Small Business for America’s Future underscoring how high drug prices hurt small businesses. Throughout the week, Protect Our Care will host events and release additional research to demonstrate the urgency for drug pricing reform. Lowering drug prices would help small businesses recover from the pandemic and thrive for years to come.
KEY POINTS:
- The rising cost of prescription drug prices is crushing small businesses. Nearly one in three small businesses currently providing health benefits to their workers have considered ending their sponsored coverage largely as a result of rising health care costs. 93 percent of small business owners believe the prescription drug market needs to undergo changes, with 66 percent calling for a major overhaul.
- Small businesses are forced to pass along the increased costs of providing coverage to customers and workers. Many small businesses report wanting to “do the right thing” when it comes to providing health coverage for their workers. Tragically, that goal is being pushed increasingly out of reach, as many owners are being forced to raise prices on goods and services and/or increase deductibles and premiums in order to continue providing coverage.
- Small businesses demand bold action to lower prescription drug prices. Regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum, small business owners want strong government action on this issue, with 87 percent stating it is important for the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to lower prescription medication prices. In a recent survey, small business owners overwhelmingly supported solutions such as capping out-of-pocket costs for seniors, Medicare negotiating drug prices, prohibiting anti-competitive behaviors that delay price competition, and penalizing drug companies that increase their prices faster than inflation.
“The cost of healthcare and prescription drugs have skyrocketed for many small businesses and it’s having a real impact on their growth,” said Small Business for America’s Future Co-Chair Erika Gonzalez, an Allergy & Asthma Medical Professional and small business owner based in San Antonio. “If we are going to have a strong small business sector and economic recovery, we need our policymakers to act to rein in these costs. It’s an urgent priority of small businesses.”
“The American economy is paying the price for high drug costs,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “As prescription drug prices skyrocket, small businesses are paying more and more for health care, forcing them to increase costs and lower wages, all while big drug companies are spending billions on stock buybacks and shareholder dividends. The future of small businesses depends on standing up to Big Pharma’s greed and giving Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices.”
In June, Protect Our Care announced Lower Rx Summer as part of The Campaign to Reduce Drug Prices. Lower Rx Summer consists of themed weeks of action to illustrate the urgent need for legislation to lower drug prices principally by giving Medicare the power to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices for all Americans.
Remaining Theme Weeks for Lower Rx Summer
Week 7 (July 19): How High Drug Prices Hurt Small Businesses
Week 8 (July 26): How High Drug Prices Hurt Children
Week 9 (August 2): Expanding Medicare Benefits—Dental, Vision, And Hearing
Read the new report on how high drug costs hurt small businesses here.