County Executive Calvin Ball Joins Community Senior Forum About Rising Drug Prices

ELLICOTT CITY, MD - Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Van Mitchell, the chair of the new Maryland Prescription Drug Affordability Board, today led a Howard County community senior forum about rising drug costs, the first of a series of events around the state to hear from the public about the burden of paying for their medications. Congressman John Sarbanes, Harford County Executive Barry Glassman and Maryland AARP official Tammy Bresnahan also took part in the event, which was held at a senior center in Ellicott City.

The Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which was established by the state legislature in 2019, is beginning its work by reviewing drug costs in the state and hearing public concerns about the affordability of medications.

“It is unacceptable for Howard County residents having to choose between paying for their prescription drugs or buying groceries. Our residents deserve better and we are doing everything in our power to lower prescription drug costs,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “We're honored to be the first jurisdiction to host these important conversations to be held around the state, Howard County has been and will continue to be at the forefront of health care innovations for our residents. I am also thankful to our partners at the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative and the AARP for their continued efforts on this issue. Our hope is these forums will highlight the incredible burden of rising drug costs and inspire concrete action from the Prescription Drug Affordability Board.”

About the Prescription Drug Affordability Board:
The Board has the authority to examine the high cost of prescription drugs and ascertain how to make these costs more affordable for Marylanders. In the next couple of years, the Board will have the authority to establish procedures to make high cost drugs more affordable for state and local governments. By 2023, the board will be required to make recommendations to the Maryland General Assembly on how to make high cost drugs more affordable for all Marylanders. Many states across the country are working to replicate Maryland's landmark new law.

The board has five members. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Adrienne Jones jointly appointed Mitchell, a former state Health Secretary, as chair. Individually, they also appointed Professor Ebere Onukwugha, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, and Dr. George S. Malouf Jr., an ophthalmologist and leader of MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society. Attorney General Brian Frosh named Professor Gerard F. Anderson, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance and Management, to the board as well. Gov. Larry Hogan named Johns Hopkins Professor Joseph Levey to be a member.

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