Lawmakers Work to Curb Crippling Costs of Prescription Drugs

Healthcare costs are out of control. According to a recent survey conducted by Consumers for Affordable Healthcare, more than two-thirds of Mainers say a single major medical event could catapult them into financial disaster. One of the culprits of these crippling out-of-pocket costs are for prescription drugs, with many rationing or going without the medication they need to live healthy lives.

Sen. Camron Reny has introduced a bill to help address the rocketing costs of medication. LD 1829 would require that any prescription drugs that are dispensed or delivered to a consumer in Maine cannot exceed a certain cost. The price will be set at the maximum rate that a drug can cost under Medicare. To ensure that the money these health plans and providers save is put to good use, the bill also lays out that those savings must be used to reduce costs to consumers.

No person should have to ration their medication or go without entirely due to cost. But the costs of medication are soaring, and too many Mainers are put into this position. We cannot afford to drag our feet on this critical issue, and we encourage the Legislature to pass this bill.

New Proposed Bill Would Protect Patients From Facility Fees

Between sky-high premiums, and out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs and treatments, too many Mainers are forced to go without the care they need.

Lawmakers are looking to address the many barriers to care that Mainers are facing. One of the these barriers are facility fees. Facility fees are charges patients may be forced to pay – in addition to their bill for treatment and medical services – just for being inside a medical facility.

Oftentimes, these fees get attached to any form of care, and can place an undue financial burden on patients. At worst, they can be predatory, costing much more than the appointment or procedure themselves.

LD 1795 would address facility fees directly. It would limit them for any medical services provided on a hospital campus, in an emergency room or outside emergency facility. It would ban them entirely for any outpatient evaluation or diagnostic or imagining service procedures. Hospitals will also be required to submit an annual report on facility fees charged during the year, and must make that publically accessible. This will ensure transparency and accountability from hospitals on just how much they’re charging patients, and for what.

When dealing with a health crisis, the first concern should be getting the treatment needed to get well, not be the cost of treatment itself. This bill is an important step in addressing the out of control health care costs plaguing working families here in Maine. We encourage the Legislature to pass this bill to help ease that burden!

New Proposed Bill Would Ban Tenant Application Fees for Maine Renters

For the past few years, state legislators in Augusta have passed a variety of bills to address Maine's housing crisis. A few examples include one piece of legislation to study zoning laws and land use restrictions, and another to help cities and towns cover the cost of building affordable housing units to reduce homelessness.

Now lawmakers are looking to address another barrier to finding affordable housing – tenant application fees. Representative Kessler of South Portland recently introduced LD 691: An Act to Reduce Barriers to Housing by Prohibiting Tenant Application Fees.

The proposed legislation, “prohibits a landlord from requiring a person to pay a fee in order to submit an application to enter into an agreement to rent a residential dwelling unit.”

As we’ve previously reported, 1 in 5 Maine renters pay more than half their income toward housing costs, and, for every family living in an affordable, federally subsidized unit, nearly three families are on a waiting list.

Navigating the housing market is hard enough during these times. The last thing Maine families need right now is additional barriers to finding the shelter they need. We applaud Rep. Kessler for introducing this legislation and we look forward to seeing its passage in the near future.