Rx Drugs Roundtable: Costs, Access, and Affordability

Scores of families across the nation routinely make hard choices between paying for their life-saving medications and necessities such as food, gas, and utilities. Following a tumultuous year of historic proportions, high and rising prescription drug costs remain a serious issue.

In 2020, Families USA partnered with West Health on a media fellowship to provide in-depth reporting on the policies and politics of the prescription drug landscape and to capture consumers’ experiences with high drug costs.

This roundtable featured insights from consumers, reporters (including one of the media fellows), and Families USA staff on access and affordability challenges and how issues such as COVID-19, equity, and the economic downturn are affecting drug costs.

Panel 1. Voter experience

• Lisa Holland – Senior Communications Manager, Families USA (moderator)
• Sandra Wilkniss – Director of Complex Care Policy and Senior Fellow, Families USA
• Antroinette Worsham – Cincinnati, OH
• Maureen Allen – Talking Rock, GA

Panel 2. Insights from the Hill and Media

• Lisa Holland – Senior Communications Manager, Families USA (moderator)
• Harris Meyer – freelance writer and West Health and Families USA media fellow
• Alex Ruoff – Bloomberg Government
• Jen Taylor – Senior Director of Federal Relations, Families USA

Listen to the Roundtable from the January 25th, 2021.