SALEM, Ore. - Oregon lawmakers are looking at ways to address the spiking costs of prescription drugs.

Two bills in the Legislature could bring down prices, which would be a relief to older Oregonians. According to a U.S. Senate report from last year, the prices for some commonly prescribed, name-brand drugs are increasing at 10 times the rate of inflation.

Geneva Craig, a registered nurse at Asante Health Systems in Medford and an AARP Oregon executive council member, said she wants the state to act soon because of the effects she's seen from unaffordable drugs.

"Some patients that I've seen in the hospital are in the hospital because they had to make a choice about being able to afford the drugs - their medication - or the rent, or food," she said. "Those types of choices had to be made."

The bills now being considered would require companies to give 60 days' advance notice before raising the price of a drug, and to allow prescription drugs to be imported from Canada.

Mark Griffith, a health-care advocate with the consumer group OSPIRG, said House Bill 2658, requiring advance notice of price increases, could help put the market back into balance.

"The drug companies are holding more of the power than they should be," he said, "and, to some extent, this is something that's going to help level the playing fields by giving insurance companies, as well as consumers who are able to act on choice, to be in a better position to respond to planned price changes."

Griffith said the advance notice would give insurance companies time to switch to a more affordable drug, putting pressure on drug companies to keep their prices down. Pharmaceutical representatives say the bill could threaten manufacturer supply chains.

HB 2658 passed the House in April and now is in the Senate.

Griffith said the other bill, HB 2689, has counterparts in states as politically diverse as Vermont and Florida - and both have approved Canadian import programs. Opponents have pointed to safety concerns, but Griffith said Canadian standards are on par with those of the United States. He said the real benefit comes from the savings.

"Prescription drugs that are sold in Canada - and these are basically the same, exact product - are much, much less expensive," he said. "They could be as much as 80% lower, but something like 30% to 50% lower in price is pretty typical."

Texts of HB 2658 and HB 2689 are online.

With flu and COVID-19 cases increasing during the holiday season, a Georgia doctor said now is the time to take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Dr. Michael Satchell, family medicine physician at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, encouraged everyone to consider flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to reduce the risk of serious illness, especially for those most vulnerable.

"Those who are vaccinated are actually 60% less likely to get a serious form of COVID or to be hospitalized," Satchell pointed out. "We're seeing that the vast majority and greater than 90% of those who are hospitalized are those who have not been vaccinated."

Satchell recommended everyone six months and older think about getting vaccinated, especially older adults and those with existing health conditions, to stay safer during the holiday season.

He acknowledged symptoms of flu and COVID-19 can overlap with a common cold but Satchell advised testing if you have symptoms like persistent cough, fatigue, or loss of taste and smell. He noted COVID-19 tests are still available online, and added it is important to consult with a provider if symptoms persist or exposure is suspected.

"It's important because there are still people dying from COVID," Satchell emphasized. "In Georgia, almost 300 people died in the last 3 months. So we're still seeing a lot of hospitalizations last season, the 2023-24 season, we had over 900,000 people across the country were hospitalized with COVID. So it's still out there."


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Groups fighting to improve access to health care are asking the U.S. Senate to reject Robert F. Kennedy Jr's nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy is an environmental lawyer who ran for president, then threw his support to Donald Trump in August.

Matthew Herdman, California state director for the nonprofit Protect our Care, said Kennedy has falsely linked vaccines to autism.

"When he went to American Samoa to talk about vaccine safety there, almost immediately afterward, there was a large measles outbreak that led to 83 Americans losing their lives," Herdman recounted. "I would be terrified to see that happen, spread nationwide across our country."

Kennedy has said one of his priorities would be to reexamine pesticides that are legal in the U.S. but banned or being phased out in Europe. He has also promoted raw milk, despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that unpasteurized milk can carry salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and the virus that causes bird flu.

Dr. Diana Dayal, an emergency room resident physician at UCLA Medical Center and a union representative, said she's troubled by Kennedy's beliefs.

"He has touted countless baseless claims time and time again that have later been contradicted by expert review," Dayal pointed out. "From his takes on vaccine development to fluoride safety, he misrepresents isolated data as conclusive and then interprets other studies incorrectly. Conveniently he then ignores vast scientific evidence and peer review that runs counter to his beliefs."

Chris Noble, organizing director for the group Health Access California, noted Kennedy once called the COVID-19 vaccine the "deadliest vaccine ever made."

"RFK Jr. will continue to propagate medical conspiracies that further erode trust in evidence-based medicine that will result in preventable death and grave threats to public health if given a seat of power," Noble contended.

Billions of dollars in federal subsidies for health plans on CoveredCA are set to expire next year unless the Republican-controlled Senate reinstates them. Kennedy has so far not taken a public position on the issue.

A new report on lung cancer by the American Lung Association showed Maryland has quite a bit of room to improve diagnoses and treatment but experts said the state has taken some big steps in tackling it.

The report showed almost 17% of Marylanders at high risk for lung cancer were screened, a little less than the national average. Maryland fared better in other metrics, including lower rates of adult smokers and people unable to access treatment.

Aleks Casper, Maryland director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, said to improve the state's standing, Marylanders at risk of lung cancer need to be screened at higher rates.

"If we can get people screened, our chances of impacting all the other metrics improve," Casper explained. "If we get people screened and we can find it early, then we can connect them to treatment and we can connect them to surgery, which impacts outcomes."

The report also noted Latinos in Maryland are the least likely group to be diagnosed early.

Casper pointed out certain policies in Maryland have removed barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Just this year, Maryland became one of 15 states to require insurance to cover biomarker testing, including for lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute described biomarker testing as using a sample of tissue, blood or other fluid to look for genes or chromosomes which could increase a person's likelihood of developing certain cancers, which Casper emphasized is critical.

"Being able to test and determine what the best type of treatment for that person's disease, that kind of really individualized care and giving people access to that, is really important," Casper added.

Those who want to find out if they're eligible to be screened for lung cancer can take a quick test at savedbythescan.org.


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