Senator Sinema: Arizonans Want Action to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

To the Hon. U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema:

As medical professionals practicing across Arizona, we urge you to support legislation that can help our patients and fellow Arizonans afford and access health care. This includes legislation currently being considered to reduce the high cost of prescription drugs by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices. In addition to making medications more affordable for Arizonans, reducing the cost of medications can also return an estimated $500 billion to taxpayers — savings that could also help expand Medicare to more people and provide more health care services.

In our exam rooms and our clinics, we see firsthand how expensive, unaffordable prescription drugs endanger our patients. Seniors who skip arthritis, heart and diabetes medications until otherwise manageable conditions become debilitating, even deadly. Arizonans of all ages with respiratory diseases who struggle to afford the bronchodilators they need to breathe. Families that go bankrupt because cancer treatments costing tens of thousands of dollars can easily wipe out their hard-earned savings.

Already expensive medications are getting more expensive every year: Hundreds of common prescription drugs increased in price at more than double the rate of inflation in 2020. In Arizona, between 2012 and 2017, drug prices went up nearly 58 percent, while incomes inched up only 12 percent. As a result of ever-increasing and unaffordable drug prices, one in four Arizonans stopped taking the medications they need as prescribed by their health care providers.

Our patients feel the pain. And by overwhelming margins, Arizonans want action to lower prescription drug prices — a promise you made in your 2018 campaign for the U.S. Senate.

COVID-19 continues to devastate Arizonans and increase risks of significant complications to individuals with chronic conditions. For these individuals, access to affordable medications so they can manage their illnesses is even more essential to their well-being and survival.

As medical professionals who aim to prevent harm and promote the health and safety of our patients, we urge you to live up to your promises and support current proposals in Congress to reduce the high cost of prescription drugs. Your support is crucial to helping millions of Arizonans — many of them our patients, all of them your constituents — afford the medications they need to be healthy and live productive lives.

As our U.S. senator, you have an opportunity and a responsibility to put people’s lives ahead of the profits of pharmaceutical corporations.

Signed:

Cadey Harrel, MD + Committee to Protect Health Care AZ Lead; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Cecilia Adams, MD; Pediatrics (Oro Valley)

Usma Ahmad, MD; Internal Medicine (Phoenix)

Murtaza Akhter, MD; Emergency Medicine (Phoenix)

Yasmin Akhunji, MD; Endocrinology (Scottsdale)

Timothy Baker, MD; Family Medicine (Chandler)

Charlene Baldwin, FNP; Primary Care (Phoenix)

Katayoun Baniriah, DO; Family Medicine (Paradise Valley)

Paul Baranko, MD; Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (Phoenix)

Howard Baxter, MD; Radiology (Phoenix)

Rene Beckham, MD; Internal Medicine (Paradise Valley)

Jacqueline Belen, DO; Gynecology (Scottsdale)

Robert Beren, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Christina Bergin, MD; Internal Medicine (Phoenix)

M Akram Bhatti, MD; Psychiatry (Phoenix)

Marlene Bluestein, MD; Internal Medicine and Geriatrics (Tucson)

Ciara Bozarth, DO; Family Medicine (Scottsdale)

Michael Brennan, MD, DLFAPA; Psychiatry (Apache Junction)

Stephen Brockway, MD; Psychiatry (Cave Creek)

Peter Brown, MD; Emergency Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine (Tucson)

Cynthia Bruwer, RN; Preventive Medicine (Tucson)

Melissa Byram, MD; Pediatrics (Arizona City)

Jacqueline Carter, MD; Internal Medicine and Pediatrics (Chandler)

Renzo Cataldo, MD; Cardiac Electrophysiology (Sedona)

Anna Cordova, MD; Anesthesiology (Tempe)

Ricardo Correa, MD; Endocrinology (Phoenix)

Heidi Costello, RN; Leadership, MBA, MSN (Tucson)

John Curtiss, MD; Pediatrics (Tucson)

Diana DaBell, MD; Emergency Medicine (Peoria)

Anna De Ocampo, MD; Developmental Pediatrics (Scottsdale)

Sarah Desoky, MD; Pediatric Radiology (Tucson)

Edwin Dolin, MD; Radiology (Scottsdale)

Shelley Doumani-Semino, MD; Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry (Phoenix)

Steve Downing, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Brad Duell, Paramedic and Firefighter; Emergency Medicine (Scottsdale)

Carol Erdmann, BSN, RN, CRRN-R, HFCO; Rehabilitation, Compliance (Show Low)

Mary Fabri, PsyD; Clinical Psychology (Chinle)

Stephen Finberg, DO; Pulmonary Medicine (Phoenix)

Henry Florez, MD; Internal Medicine (Yuma)

Joshua Freeman, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Thomas Gazda, MD; Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Addiction Medicine (Scottsdale)

Cathy Geisert, MD; Pediatrics (Tucson)

Kara Geren, MD, MPH; Emergency Medicine (Scottsdale)

Marvin Gibbs, MD; Retired Obstetrics & Gynecology (Phoenix)

Catherine Gioannetti, MD; Pediatrics (Tucson)

David Goldberg, MD; Internal Medicine (Chinle)

Edwin Goldstein, MD; Nuclear Medicine (Phoenix)

Paul Gordon, MD, MPH; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Alan Graham, MD; Pediatric Critical Care (Scottsdale)

Michael Gray, MD; Clinical Environmental Toxicology (Benson)

Vicki Greiff, MD; Geriatrics, Internal Medicine (Tucson)

Michelle Grua, MD; Anesthesiology (Flagstaff)

Gail Guerrero Tucker, MD, MPH, FAAFP; Family Medicine (Thatcher)

Rajbir Gulati, MD; Rheumatology (Glendale)

Amy Guzek, MD; Pediatrics (Chandler)

Karen Haas, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Barbara Hartley, MD; Family Medicine, Chief of Staff, Benson Hospital (Benson)

Lexine Hebets, MD; Obstetrics & Gynecology (Phoenix)

Joseph Henderson, MD; Emergency Medicine (Flagstaff)

Allen Holloway, MD; Internal Medicine and Wound Care (Phoenix)

Debra Holtorf, RN; Ophthalmology (Glendale)

Susan Hughes, MD; Family Medicine (Scottsdale)

Judith Hutchinson, MD; Anesthesiology (Chandler)

Philip Ivey, MD; Obstetrics & Gynecology (Gilbert)

Christopher Jentoft, MD; Family Medicine (Lakeside)

Julia Jernberg, MD; Geriatrics (Tucson)

Andree Jones, DO; Primary Care, Sports Medicine (Phoenix)

Brian Jorgensen, MD; Internal Medicine (Scottsdale)

Keith Kaback, MD; Emergency Medicine (Tucson)

Betsy Kantor, MD; Anesthesiology (Scottsdale)

Linda Karl, MD; Rheumatology (Tucson)

Veeraiah Karumanchi, MD; Psychiatry (Tucson)

Leslee Kelly, MD; Pediatrics (Scottsdale)

Patricia Kelly, RN; Public Health (Tucson)

Rita Kilgore, MD, FAAP; Pediatrics (Hereford)

Brehan King, MD; Anesthesiology (Scottsdale)

Hans Klaudt, MD; Retired Emergency Medicine (Tucson)

Atsuko Koyama, MD, MPH; Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Adolescent Medicine (Phoenix)

Rama Kunkle, DO; Palliative Care, Internal Medicine (Phoenix)

Tracey Kurtzman, MD; Pediatrics (Tucson)

Julie Kwatra, MD; Obstetrics & Gynecology (Scottsdale)

Yvette Lam, MD; Gastroenterology (Tonopah)

Frances Lamden, MA; Speech Pathology (Scottsdale)

Jason Levine, MD; Ophthalmology (Tucson)

Jonathan Levy, MD; Radiology (Scottsdale)

Denise Link, NP; Women's Health (Phoenix)

Paula Maas, DO; Family Medicine (Tucson)

David Massanari, MD; Geriatrics (Green Valley)

Julie Massoud, DO; Emergency Medicine (Tempe)

Harry McDermott, MD, MPH; General Medicine (Tucson)

Marilyn Medwied, MD; Gynecology (Tucson)

Allegra Melillo, MD; Family Medicine (Phoenix)

Marc Merroto, MD; Neurology (Phoenix)

Hugh Miller, MD; Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology (Tucson)

Lora Mills, PA-C; Internal Medicine, Nephrology (Tempe)

Lawrence Moher, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Rebecca Moran, MD; Family Medicine (Phoenix)

Karen Murphy, BSN, RN; Public Health (Tucson)

Lynn Ngo, DO; Family Medicine (Phoenix)

Soheila Nouri, MD; Internal Medicine (Tucson)

Craig Ottenstein, MD; Internal Medicine (Tucson)

Ashwin Patel, MD; Internal medicine (Phoenix)

Edward Patterson, MD; Pediatrics (Phoenix)

Kelly Pearson, MD; Dermatology (Scottsdale)

Karen Peifer, PhD, RN; Public Health (Mesa)

Tammy Penhollow, DO; Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine (Scottsdale)

Pamela Powers, MD; Retired Psychiatry (Prescott)

Gregory Raglow, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Devyani Raval, MD; Neonatology (Tucson)

Kumar Ravi, MD; Cardiology (Sun City)

Peter Reed, DO; Family Medicine (Scottsdale)

Janet Reiser, MD; Gastroenterology (Scottsdale)

Kenneth Richmond, MD; Medical Management (Tucson)

Edgardo Rivera, MD, FACP; Oncology (Scottsdale)

Sandra Romero, MD; Pediatrics (Mesa)

Ellen Rosenberg, MD; Neonatal Medicine (Scottsdale)

Michelle Ruha, MD; Medical Toxicology (Scottsdale)

David Ryder, MD; Radiology (Phoenix)

Attiya Salim, MD; Anesthesiology (Kingman)

Mehrdad Saririan, MD; Cardiology (Phoenix)

Andrea Schindler, DO; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Elizabeth Schmied, MD; Obstetrics & Gynecology (Scottsdale)

Frederic Schwartz, DO, FACOFP; Family and Community Medicine (Mesa)

Kristine Sellberg, MD; Cardiology (Phoenix)

Christine Severance, DO; Family Medicine (Phoenix)

Eve Shapiro, MD, MPH; Pediatrics (Tucson)

Rustan Sharer, MD; Internal Medicine (Phoenix)

Sarah Sharer, MD; Obstetrics & Gynecology (Phoenix)

Charlene Shaughnessy-Volquardsen, MD; Emergency Medicine (Phoenix)

Diane Sillman, RN; Psych (Phoenix)

Michael Sills, MD; Radiology (Scottsdale)

Elizabeth Simoneau, MD; Obstetrics & Gynecology (Prescott Valley)

Craig Sinnard, MD; Emergency Medicine (Prescott)

David Smith, NP; Adult Nurse Practitioner (Phoenix)

Valerie Sorkin Wells, MD; Gynecology (Scottsdale)

Lisa Sparks, MD; Addiction Medicine (Phoenix)

Ninakae Stanton, RN, BSN, BSHCA; ICU (Benson)

Karen Stark, MD; Cardiology (Scottsdale)

Amaal Starling, MD; Neurology (Scottsdale)

Autumn Stevenson, MD; Family and Community Medicine (Tucson)

Gordon Stillie, DO, MS, MBA, FACRO; Radiation Oncology (Tucson)

Li-Ting Sudano, FNP; Rheumatology (Tucson)

Marcos Teran, MD; Family Medicine (Tucson)

Timothy Tracy, RN; Retired ED Clinical, Health Care Administrator (Tucson)

Kim Tranquada, MD; Emergency Medicine (Oro Valley)

Amruta Vadnerkar, MD; Geriatrics (Paradise Valley)

Rashmi Vaidya, MD; Breast Surgical Oncology (Glendale)

Laura Vandenheede, MD; Orthopedics (Show Low)

Priya Vannarath, MD; Pediatrics (Chandler)

Yara Vargas, MD; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Paradise Valley)

Karyne Vinales, MD; Endocrinology (Phoenix)

Larry Wade, MD; Psychiatry (Phoenix)

Sarah Ward, PT, DPT; Acute Care Physical Therapy (Chandler)

Barbara Warren, MD, MPH; Internal Medicine, Public Health (Tucson)

Linda Webb, RN, MSN; Surgery (Tucson)

Judith Wieser, RN; Nursing (Phoenix)

Susan Wilder, MD; Family Medicine (Scottsdale)

Mariposa Wolford, MD; Pediatrics (Tucson)

Adrienne Yarnish, MD; Emergency Medicine (Tucson)

Birsen Yuzak, MD; Internal Medicine (Phoenix)