skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Wildfires prompt evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey crews battle their own blaze; Iowa town halls find 'empty chairs'; California groups bring generations together to work on society's biggest problems; and Pennsylvania works to counter Trump clean energy rollbacks.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Lawmakers from both parties face angry constituents. Some decide to skip town halls rather than address concerned voters and Kentucky considers mandatory Medicaid work requirements.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Cuts to Medicaid and frozen funding for broadband are both likely to have a negative impact on rural healthcare, which is already struggling. Plus, lawsuits over the mass firing of federal workers have huge implications for public lands.

Youngkin to decide fate of prescription drug cost watchdog

play audio
Play

Monday, March 3, 2025   

Two-thirds of Virginians over the age of 18 regularly take prescription medication, and - according to
ARRP
- support establishing maximum prices for those medications.

A bill passed by the General Assembly may do just that.

The legislation headed to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's desk would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board.

The board would have the power to conduct affordability reviews of medications sold in the Commonwealth. If a review found a medication's price too high, the board could establish limits.

Jared Calfee, state advocacy director with AARP Virginia, said any price change would also have ripple effects up and down the supply chain.

"And in the event that the drug is not affordable for the people who need it, that high cost is not justifiable, they would have the ability to set what's called an upper payment limit," said Calfee, "the highest price that could be paid for the drug throughout the supply chain, which would apply to everyone in Virginia, from the manufacturer purchase level to the pharmacy counter."

Youngkin vetoed similar legislation in 2024, writing that it would limit treatment and hinder medical research for rare, life-threatening diseases.

Other federal efforts in past years have worked to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Those include caps on insulin costs - and the ability for Medicare to negotiate the costs of some prescription drugs.

Calfee said addressing the price of prescription drugs will help people of all ages across the Commonwealth.

"This is not just a problem with seniors or people over 50," said Calfee. "This is everybody who is taking prescription drugs and is dealing with the problems associated with high costs. I mean, people of all ages are having to make choices about putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their head or taking their medication as prescribed."

According to AARP research, half of Virginians who take a prescription drug pay more than $50 a month for the medication.



Disclosure: AARP Virginia contributes to our fund for reporting on Consumer Issues, Health Issues, Hunger/Food/Nutrition, Senior Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, established by the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, provides free, confidential support to individuals in mental health crises. (Pixabay)

Health and Wellness

play sound

As Mississippi grapples with a growing mental health crisis, state and local leaders are being urged to prioritize diversion programs and crisis care …


Social Issues

play sound

Legislation in Virginia would prohibit any systematic removals of people from voter rolls at least 90 days before an election. Last August, …

Environment

play sound

Federal rules meant to better control harmful methane emissions will not take effect since Congress and President Donald Trump have intervened but the…


The U.S. Department of Education currently manages student loans for more than 40 million borrowers. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

Student loans are among the areas overseen by the U.S. Department of Education and since President Donald Trump has followed through on his threat to …

Social Issues

play sound

Gov. Mark Gordon has just a few days left to make final decisions on bills passed during the Wyoming legislative session. Both fair election …

As part of the Trump administration's budget-cutting moves, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has eliminated $1 billion in programs connecting local producers with food banks and school lunch programs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota farmers leading the "locally grown" movement have visions of a dynamic regional food production system but some of it is in doubt with lo…

Environment

play sound

A coalition of conservationists and tribal nations is pushing for support of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative by state officials in Olympia…

Social Issues

play sound

Absentee ballot restrictions and shortening the amount of time it takes to purge inactive voters from the voting rolls are priorities for West Virgini…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021