I am Sandra Williams, a 75 year old retiree from Lynchburg, Virginia living with atrial fibrillation (Afib). 

I am insured under a Humana Gold Plus Medicare plan and due to my condition, I have to take and adhere to an Eliquis prescription routine. The problem, however, is that even though I am insured, my medical plan considers Eliquis, which has a list price of $594, a tier 4 drug and therefore am expected to pay nearly $500 a month for my monthly supply, after insurance coverage (or lack thereof). 

As a retired woman living on a fixed income from disability, $500 a month is simply unsustainable, unaffordable, and hurtful. All me and my family do is constantly worry about how we are going to pay for the drugs we need. Our health insurance doesn’t help as much as one would expect, and it is a hassle to get assistance. Our prescriptions are also very expensive which is unfortunate. 

Ultimately, I believe in lower drug prices because as someone with a fixed income and disability, high cost drugs are simply out of reach for me. As prescription drugs were meant to help cure or make people healthier, we need lower prices if we are to depend on them everyday and expect to live. 

We need lower drug prices now!