LETTERS

Letter to the editor: Make changes to health care that don't hike taxes

The Repository

President Joe Biden is once again looking to get government even more involved in our health care, and this time, he’s adding on a tax increase to fund his agenda.

In his latest partisan proposal, he wants to increase the government’s ability to influence the market and set the prices of prescription medications. What is worth noting is that Biden and other Democrats in Congress already passed a version of this in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. The major issue here is that the 2022 law hasn’t even been enacted yet, and we haven’t even begun to see the negative implications this could bring on our current health care system. It doesn’t make any sense to add on more government price controls right now.

The president instead should be supporting bipartisan measures that will actually help Americans and not raise their taxes. A great option would be the Help Ensure Lower Patient (HELP) Copays Act that was introduced by Democrats and Republicans. The HELP Act would rein in the practices of pharmacy benefit managers, an unknown entity that routinely withholds savings from Americans who need to pick up their medications at the pharmacy counter.

I hope that the president reevaluates his health care priorities and actually sits down with leaders from both sides of the aisle to make sensible changes.

Jillian Ryan, North Canton