valley views Lowering prescription drug prices starts with addressing patent abuse

Oneof the most pressing issues facing healthcare today is skyrocketing prescription drug prices. Prescription drug expenditures already account for about onefifth of all healthcare costs nationally, and that figure is projected to go up in the coming years. It’s a crisis coming to a head with one in four Americans unable to afford their medication. We know what is driving these rapid cost increases, and a significant part of the problem is attributed to abusive tactics developed by Big Pharma to unreasonably extend monopoly pricing on certain drugs. It’s time for Congress to act to stop this abuse from happening.

The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, co-sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is a crucial step in the right direction. By implementing meaningful reforms that would tackle Big Pharma’s patent abuse, this bill promises to alleviate the financial burden on patients, enhance affordability, and ultimately improve the overall well-being of individuals and families across the nation.

The primary objective of this bill is to reduce the exorbitant costs of prescription medications. High drug prices have long been a significant barrier to accessing necessary treatments, forcing individuals to choose between their health and financial stability. This bill aims to change this by promoting fair pricing practices, encouraging competition, and cracking down on the pharmaceutical industry’s abusive tactics that delay more

Thanks to the GPCF

We would like to thank the Greater Polson Community Foundation for awarding our library an Impact Grant to purchase a TV and sound system for our renovated meeting room. We are so grateful to them for the support they have given us over the years. To tie into that grant, we are also excited to share that we are a recipient of the American Library Association’s Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small affordable products from coming to market. of medications.

Valley Views

The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act recognizes the vital role played by generic and biosimilar drugs in driving down costs and increasing access to affordable medications. Through various provisions, the bill incentivizes the development and entry of generic and biosimilar alternatives to brandname drugs. This competition will stimulate market dynamics that foster affordability and choice, allowing patients to select lower-cost alternatives without compromising on quality or effectiveness. Expediting the approval process for generics and biosimilars will promote market competition, resulting in reduced prices and increased availability

Critically, this bill will crack down on an abusive tactic frequently employed by pharmaceutical drug manufacturers called “product hopping.” Product hopping is a tactic that entails a drug manufacturer switching patients from one version of a drug that is facing expiring patents, to a newer version of that drug that is set to enjoy a longer period of patent protection. This tactic enables Big Pharma to protect its profits for longer, and prevents patients from accessing lower-cost alternatives such as generics and biologics.

Patent abuse by the pharmaceutical industry is pervasive. Of the 100 best selling drugs in the United States, almost 80% have had their patent protection extended at least once to block generic competition. One analysis estimates the cost of pat- ent abuse at an additional $40 billion annually. The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act would set reasonable limitations on patents and prevent some of Big Pharma’s most egregious tactics in this space.

The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act is a vital piece of legislation that addresses the urgent need for affordable healthcare and accessible prescription drugs. By cracking down on Big Pharma’s patent abuse and promoting generic and biosimilar competition, this bill lays the groundwork for a more equitable healthcare system. The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act will relieve the burden on patients, enabling them to access the medications they need without sacrificing their financial security. As a society, we must prioritize affordable healthcare, and this bill represents a significant step towards achieving this goal.

Cary Smith, from Billings, served in the Montana legislature from 2009 to 2020.

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and Rural Communities initiative. The library received a $20,000 grant that will allow us to install a system in our renovated meeting room to help those who are hard of hearing. If you are hard of hearing, wear hearing aids or have a cochlear implant, or have a family member who is hard of hearing, please consider joining us in our Community Conversation on Tuesday, July 25, at 11:15 a.m. We will hear from James Rowe of OTOjOY on hearing loop systems and discuss the pros and cons of installing this type of system in our meeting room. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is required as the meeting is being held offsite with limited space. see page 11 from page 10

Letters must be signed by the author and name, address and phone number must be included –phone number is for verification purposes only. Letters from organizations must include the name of at least one author.

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Contact Library Director Abbi Dooley to reserve your spot.

Our annual Summer Reading Program continues this month with some great programs. It’s not too late to sign up to log your reading and earn incentives from our amazing local businesses. You also get the chance to win some great prizes. This month we held our annual Boat Day event with the winning boat holding 283 pennies before it sunk. Thank you to Gary Teggeman for showing us the boat he is building and talking to everyone about the parts of a boat. Join us Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. for a Dance Party on July 13, Lavender Lori on July 20, and Animal Wonders (with real animals) on July 27. We are also super excited to announce that published children’s author, Valerie Bolling, will join us at our Ice Cream Social on August 17. Valerie is the author of five picture books and an early reader series. She is passionate about creating stories in which all children can see themselves. She will be reading and signing her books. You can purchase her books online, or we will have a limited quantity available for purchase that morning so you can get a book signed.

Our Teen Advisory Group meets July 17 at 4 p.m. Kids between the ages of 12-18 are welcome to sign up in advance or just come and see what it’s all about. Our pen pal program for children ages 6-12 will meet again to read letters from Philipsburg and respond on July 18 at 2 p.m. Mother Goose continues Mondays at 9:15 a.m. for our littlest patrons (0-3) with Stacey from Public Health joining us July 10 and July 24 with special activities. We celebrated our first two graduates of the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program with a graduation ceremony, complete with decorated caps and doughnuts. You can find more information on this program on our website or stop in and see us. Want to become a certified babysitter? We are offering our Babysitter

Certification incentive again this summer for teens 13-19. Complete the certification by the end of summer using the Libby App and get a coffee card on us.

We are celebrating Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library’s 200 millionth book milestone this month. Dolly is gifting a special bookmark to seven children in her Imagination Library program as part of “200 Million Reasons to Celebrate.” All children in Lake County under the age of five are eligible to register for the program to receive a free book each month until their fifth birthday. Children must be registered by July 31 to be eligible to receive one of the seven bookmarks and win some amazing prizes. You can register your child anytime online at: www. imaginationlibrary.com or stop in and see us.

Our Shoutbomb texting service has been converted to a new SMS service through our library’s patron database. Shoutbomb users will be automatically converted to this new service. If you’d like to begin receiving text messages for holds notifications and more, you can go onto your online account to sign up or stop into the library. Adding to our new services, you can now download the Palace Project app to access thousands of free eBooks and Audiobooks in addition to those on Libby. It is a great app to find books about Montana, Manga, interesting nonfiction, the classics and so much more. Speaking of free digital books, from July 13 – 27 you can download “A Very Typical Family” on Libby and join the Big Library Read. Use #biglibraryread on social media to be entered to win a selection of bookish prizes.

Our hours are Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our temporary location. Curbside pickup is available for everyone during open hours. Please call us at 406-883-8225 or email us at: polsoncl@ polson.lib.mt.us with questions or to request curbside pickup. Visit our website at: www.northlakecountylibrary.org for more info.

Montanans are getting their money back

Nearly all working-age Montanans, more than half the state’s total population, are getting some welcome news this month: the state is sending them money. Let’s be clear. The money being sent to over 530,000 Montanans is their own money. Montana collected more income taxes, the primary source of revenue for state government, than it needed to fund its obligations during the pandemic recovery year of 2021, leading to a historic budget surplus. The Republican supermajority in the state legislature recognized that that over-collection is working Montanans’ money, not the government’s. So, we’re returning it to

Legislative Notes

the people who paid it. If you paid $1,250 or less in state income taxes in tax year 2021, you’ll be getting 100% of your money back. For married couples who filed jointly, the figure is $2,500. You might even have already received it by the time you’ re reading this. If you paid more than $1,250 as an individual or $2,500 as a couple, you’ll get the full rebate amount of $1,250 or $2,500, respectively. If you’re wondering how much you paid when you did your 2021 taxes, look at Line 20 on your 2021 Montana tax return. If you have questions or want additional information, visit: GetMyRebate.mt.gov

When Republicans see page 12 from page 11 won a supermajority in the Montana Legislature, we said our number one goal was providing financial relief to Montanans. These income tax rebates are the first major piece of that relief, and Montanans have Republicans to thank. Only two Democrats, making up only 4% of the Democrats serving in the Legislature, voted to give the people their money back.

While these rebates are onetime-only, I’m proud to have sponsored the bill that permanently cuts income taxes going forward. My Senate Bill 121 cuts the top income tax rate down from 6.5% to 5.9%, while also raising the earned-income tax credit from 3% to 10% to benefit lower-wage earners. The bill will save Montanans about $170 million per year going forward. All Democrats voted against providing this permanent tax relief.

You might hear attacks from Democrats claiming that Republicans’ tax reforms are only benefitting the wealthy, but those talking points don’t make sense for two reasons: most Montanans pay the top income tax rate, and we already cut taxes for the lowest income Montanans. Senator Greg Hertz’s SB 399 from the 2021 legislative session, which goes into effect this upcoming year, removed tens of thousands of the lowest-income Montanans from paying any income taxes at all. Democrats voted against that bill as well.

There are more rebates (on property taxes) coming later this year and next year. I’ll leave that discussion for another time.

For now, when you see your money being returned to your bank account or your mailbox (depending on how you paid your 2021 income taxes), know that Republicans are happy to have overcome Democrats’ opposition to provide this financial relief, and more, to working Montanans.

Republican Senator Becky Beard of Elliston is a member of the Legislature’s Senate Taxation Committee and former chair of the House Taxation Committee.