News
Issue 2 Fails at Polls
By: Lily Bradley
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Ohioans rejected state Issue 2 or the Drug Price Relief Act. The initiative, aimed at managing drug prices for residents across the state, was rejected by nearly 80 percent of voters.
The proposed issue would have required state agencies “pay no more for prescription drugs than the federal department of Veterans Affairs.” The VA receives a 24 percent discount on prescription drugs.
The issue also would have required the state pay the “attorney fees and expenses to specific individuals of the law,” meaning if the bill had passed the state would have had to pay for any expenses required to enforce the law.
Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot lead the opposition against Issue 2. Majority of the campaign’s funding came from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA.
More than seventy-five organizations representing doctors, nurses, pharmacists and veterans opposed the issue saying Issue 2 would raise drug costs and reduce access to medicine for Ohioans.
Curt Steiner, Campaign Manager for Ohioans Against the Deceptive Rx Ballot, says voters delivered a loud and clear message.
“A large majority of Ohio voters concluded Issue 2 wouldn’t have solved any problems; it would have made things worse,” says Steiner.