To the editor:
As a mom raising a child with Down Syndrome and a former caretaker for my father with diabetes and Alzheimer’s, I know how essential affordable medications are for Iowa families.
Prescription drugs are not optional. They are necessary for health, stability and peace of mind. When costs rise, families feel the strain in every part of their lives.
Many Iowans are still forced to choose between paying for medications and covering basic household expenses. While the Most Favored Nation (MFN) price-setting model is being discussed as a solution, it does not address what families actually pay at the pharmacy counter. Tying U.S. drug prices to prices set by foreign governments overlooks the role of middlemen who continue to drive up costs for patients.
What families truly need is stronger reform of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and greater transparency throughout the prescription drug system. Any savings negotiated behind the scenes should be passed directly to patients and caregivers at the pharmacy counter, not absorbed by middlemen or large corporations.
Iowa families caring for children with complex medical needs or aging parents deserve reforms that deliver real, lasting relief where it matters most.
Marianne Crandall
West Des Moines