Tuesday, May 31, 2022 | 2 a.m.
View more of the Sun's opinion section
Congress has the power to make health care more affordable for millions of seniors and others with serious illnesses by capping the amount they pay out-of-pocket for prescription drugs under Part D.
As a cancer survivor and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer, I know how expensive cancer care can be — not just for a year or two, but often for several years and requiring numerous prescription drugs. Being unable to predict you much you’ll spend on these medications stresses a person’s mental and physical health.
I had no idea what a surprise I was in for when I became eligible for Medicare and went from my company insurance plan to an advantage plan. My copay for a life-saving drug for metastatic breast cancer increased over 5,000%.
Middle-class citizens do not qualify for any programs to help. The largest copay is in January, right after Christmas, which makes the holiday stress even greater.
Cancer patients and survivors who have Medicare need to know there’s a limit on how much they’ll pay each year. Setting a cap for outpatient prescription drugs and allowing them to make payments throughout the year would make balancing limited budgets easier, and would provide some relief to a stressful situation.
