Dear Friends & Neighbors,
Next week I will be hosting an event in our district with MnDOT Officials to provide an I-94 construction project overview. I am thankful for my partners in hosting this event: the I-94 Corridor Coalition, the I-94 Chamber of Commerce, and the Cities of Maple Grove, Rogers, Dayton, and St. Michael.
MnDOT officials will give an update on the expected timing of lane changes/closures for the project and they will be on hand to answer questions and concerns from the public, city and community leaders about the next three years of construction for our area up. If you have questions about the project and how it will affect all of us, please come!
WHEN: Thursday, September 26, 2019: 7:30 AM Refreshments; 8:00 AM Program Begins
WHO: MnDOT officials with hosts Rep. Kristin Robbins, the I-94 Corridor Coalition, the I-94 Chamber of Commerce, and the Cities of Maple Grove, Rogers, Dayton, and St. Michael.
WHAT: MnDOT Officials will give an overview of the long-term I-94 construction projects taking place over the next three years.
WHERE: Maple Grove Government Center; 12800 Arbor Lakes Parkway; Maple Grove
Fighting High Prescription Drug Prices
The cost of prescription drugs is one of the most significant drivers of healthcare costs for consumers, employers and the government. While we continue to look at policy options at the Legislature, I want the public to be aware of online apps and websites that can empower consumers to shop for the lowest price drugs right now.
I am not endorsing any particular app or website and I encourage you to look at other options online as well. What I do want to do is make the public aware of tools they can use now that harness the power of price signaling and competition to enable them to compare prices and lower their own costs for prescription medicines.
Three that I have found (one of which our family has used successfully) are GoodRX, Singlecare, and Blink Health. GoodRX also has a mobile app and there are several similar apps available in the App Store.
These companies make money by selling advertising based on the information they gather from their users — similar to how many other apps and tech companies work. IF you are willing to share your data with them, you should compare these different companies to see what will work best, depending on prescriptions you use, your current insurance coverage for drugs, etc.
New Insulin Proposal
Another development on the prescription drug front — yesterday, the Minnesota Senate introduced a new proposal to help provide insulin to those who cannot afford it. The program requires insulin drug manufacturers to provide insulin to Minnesota doctors on behalf of their eligible patients. To qualify, Minnesotans with diabetes must have a family income less than 400% of the federal poverty level and not be covered by another state or federal healthcare programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, or MinnesotaCare.
As you know, most health insurance plans have already taken action and have capped patients’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin without government action. In addition, all three major manufacturers have made emergency insulin available to all through their websites (I wrote about these programs and sent out links last February). As a reminder:
I want to better understand the Senate proposal and how it works with the actions already taken by the private sector. While I certainly support access to insulin for everyone who needs it, I have concerns about the government mandating that specific drugs need to be provided free of charge. Why are certain drugs chosen over others? Who decides?
We are not experts and I think it could be a dangerous precedent, basically socializing prescriptions one drug at a time over many years, which may not account for costs, new drugs on the market, or incentivize innovation to develop more effective drugs with fewer side effects.
I look forward to hearing more about this proposal during the Senate hearing on it on Monday, September 23.
We are currently undergoing a shift in email and newsletter systems so please excuse any oddities with this week or last week's email. Our new system should be all go later this month— we'll have the kinks worked out and a brand new look soon!
Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance. My office phone number is 651-296-7806 or by email at rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.
Have a great weekend!
Kristin
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