Fleming leads effort to help Hoosiers keep more of their hard-earned cash
Today, Jan. 11, State Rep. Rita Fleming (D-Jeffersonville) joined Statehouse Democratic leadership in announcing a joint House-Senate effort to help Hoosiers keep more of their hard-earned cash and propose real solutions to the problems Hoosiers are facing.
Highlights from Statehouse Democrats’ agenda include:
- Increasing access to affordable, high-quality childcare
- Providing all homeowners with property tax relief via a $250 property tax credit funded by state surplus dollars
- Capping prescription drug costs (insulin at $35, albuterol at $55 and epinephrine [EpiPens] at $25)
- Solving the third-grade reading proficiency crisis through individualized, student-focused and non-punitive interventions
Fleming, a retired OB-GYN, spoke about the need to cap the cost of vital, life-saving prescription medications.
“In 1921, Frederick Banting, Charles Best, and JJR Macleod discovered insulin,” Fleming said. “They sold the patent for $1 each. Banting famously said, ‘Insulin does not belong to me, it belongs to the world.’ Today, lifesaving medications carry a hefty price tag.
“A vial of insulin costs roughly $10 to make but can be sold for over $100. An EpiPen costs $30 to produce but is sold for 200 times that price. Albuterol costs $0.12 to produce, but it's sold for much more than that. These are prescription medications that help millions of Hoosiers survive.
“My nephew was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of two. He’s older now, but between jobs he struggled to get his medication. This is the reality some Hoosiers face daily.
“I’m an OB-GYN, I know what happens when patients don’t have access to their medication. No moms or babies should put their health at risk due to costs. It does cost drug companies to research, develop and market drugs. But sometimes profits far exceed what is needed to make drug available.
“Statehouse Democrats are devoted to lowering prescription drug costs. We’re planning on proposing legislation to cap the price of prescription drugs. We’re going to cap the price of insulin at $35. We’re going to cap the price of albuterol at $55. We’re going to cap the price of Epi-Pens at $25. It’s time that we return to Bunting's original message. Medications belong to the world.”