An Indiana Township woman who suffers from multiple chronic conditions is scheduled to testify Wednesday before a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., about how she deals with the high cost of prescription medications she needs.
Barbara Cisek of Rural Ridge, who suffered a stroke and deals with diabetes and migraine headaches, is to testify before Sen. Robert Casey, D-Scranton, on the difficulty patients face in affording their medications. Cisek, who lives on a fixed income, receives her prescription drug coverage through Medicare and typically spends $500 per month on prescription medications and over-the-counter supplies.
Casey, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, wants to pass legislation to allow the safe importation of prescription drugs, allow Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices and enhance transparency with respect to prescription drug prices, his office said Monday.
Of the more than 59 million seniors and people with disabilities with Medicare, half of them live on low, fixed incomes of less than $26,200 per year. Prescription drugs represent $1 of every $5 spent on health care among people with Medicare, Casey said in a statement.
The hearings are scheduled to continue on Thursday in an effort to advance solutions to cut prescription drug prices.
