All Michiganders should be able to afford the prescription medications they depend upon to live long and healthy lives.

And, yet, the cost of prescription drugs in our country and state are consistently rising faster than inflation, making them increasingly unaffordable for the average Michigan resident.

In fact, the Michigan Prescription Drug Task Force has found that almost a third of Michigan residents ages 19 to 64 have stopped taking their prescriptions because of cost and six in 10 Michiganders 50 and older reported concerns over not being able to afford to fill their prescriptions in a 2022 AARP survey. Michiganders have also resorted to not taking medications as prescribed or cutting pills in half in order to stretch their prescriptions longer and delay refills.

While there are a lot of tough choices that people must make in their daily lives, choosing between paying for life-saving medications and paying for other basic life necessities — such as food, housing and utilities — should certainly not be one of them.

Here in the counties of Alpena, Montmorency, Presque Isle, and Alcona, we already know that an average of 5,890 families were facing high housing-cost burdens from 2017 to 2021 and 1,520 children ages 0 to 17 were food-insecure in 2021. The challenges that those families and other Michiganders face on a daily basis are only exacerbated by inflated prescription costs.

And, when people are forced to stop taking prescriptions because of insurmountable costs, we know that the impacts on their health — both physical and mental — can be devastating. Untreated medical conditions can result in long-term chronic conditions or pain, depression, isolation, school and job absences, and lost wages. Some people even end up in the hospital and, in the absolute worst of cases, may end up losing their life.

The cost of a prescription drug should not be a barrier to staying healthy.

The good news is that the Michigan Legislature currently has before them a package of bills that would help rein in the inflated cost of prescription drugs in Michigan through the creation of a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB).

PDABs go beyond transparency laws by bringing together an independent, nonpartisan board of experts that can use evidence-backed research to successfully set upper payment limits for the most expensive prescription drugs on the market. In addition to having a direct and lasting impact on Michiganders, a PDAB here in Michigan would also result in improved oversight of pharmaceutical companies and bring down health care costs for employers, local municipalities, and other groups that insure people.

PDABs have already been established in several states — including Maryland, Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon, and Ohio — and we here at the Michigan League for Public Policy have joined several state partners in advocating for Michigan to join that growing list.

We’re not alone in our support of a PDAB for Michigan, either. In fact, a statewide poll conducted by EPIC-MRA last month showed that 84% of active and likely November 2024 voters in Michigan support the establishment of a PDAB.

And those types of boards also have buy-in from the medical community and have had bipartisan support in other states.

We applaud state Sens. Darrin Camilleri, Veronica Klinefelt, and Kristen McDonald Rivet for introducing Senate Bills 483, 484, and 485, respectively, and we hope to see the Michigan Legislature take swift action on that important legislation this fall for the health and economic well-being of their constituencies

With those bills on the table, our lawmakers have a real opportunity to follow the lead of several other states in establishing a board that can effectively make life-changing and life-saving medications more accessible and affordable to all Michiganders.

Monique Stanton is president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy.