It’s no secret that as we grow older, our bodies naturally experience more wear and tear. We slow down our pace of walk; our aches linger longer, and the care we once took for granted becomes imperative. At 85 years old, prescribed medications aren’t just part of my daily routine, they are the lifeline that keeps each day going.
For years, I’ve relied on prescriptions to manage my hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity, depression and chronic low back pain, making sure I always have access to them through my local pharmacy. But now that Senate Bill 41 has passed, the drugs I’ve depended on could be out of reach.
SB-41 may look like just another bill aimed at reforming Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), but beneath its surface lies a devastating truth.
What lawmakers aren’t revealing is that this bill will directly and deeply harm vulnerable communities like mine. For older adults like me and Latino families, already at higher risk for chronic health conditions, SB-41 will mean skyrocketing premiums and drug costs.
When legislators weaken PBMs in California, pharmaceutical companies become stronger, because PBMs cannot do their intended jobs, which is lowering drug costs for Medicare, private healthcare insurance plans and their members. Without a PBM to stop them, pharmaceutical companies can more easily raise their own drug prices for those who are insured. If PBMs lose enough power, drug companies can also bypass cost control measures, like the ones that ensure cheaper generic meds are used instead of the more expensive branded drugs that pharmaceutical companies make billions on.
But the trouble only starts with costs. Soon, we’ll be forced into the cold, impersonable grip of a corporate machine driven by pharmaceutical companies. Imagine all pharmacies disappearing, replaced by online pharmaceutical websites owned by drug companies. There are no Spanish-speaking pharmacists to help explain your drug’s side effects, suggest the best way to take your medicines, or check to make sure that the drugs you’re prescribed do not cause bad drug interactions. There is only a website with customer service agents. That’s the cold health care future drug manufacturers want to build. And if they are successful, they will make much more money than the hundreds of billions of dollars they make today.
Without personalized care or clear communication in the language we understand best, how can we get the proper attention, urgent care and life-saving medications we need? This isn’t just policy, it’s personal. And for many of us, it’s a matter of life and death.
Why does it feel like America has forgotten about us, the parents and grandparents who sacrificed blood, sweat and everything else to raise the next generation? Why are we left to wither in the shadows of a healthcare system that treats us like we’re invisible, like our years of hard work and loyalty don’t matter? We gave everything to this country. Now, when we need it most, where is the care and respect we deserve?
Don’t let big pharmaceutical companies and their political pawns fool you. SB-41 is here to drain the lifeblood from our Latino and senior communities, putting our health, our savings, and our very lives at risk.
Narcisa Cornejo Lomelí is a San Diego County mother and grandmother.
Commentaries from community members represent the views of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of the North Coast Current and OsideNews.