As a registered nurse for more than 40 years, I’m focused on patients – not politics. But, I cannot remain silent when a system is hurting patients.

Why are prescription medications three times more expensive for Americans than for people in the rest of the developed world? Why has the cost of these drugs soared by more than 40% over the past decade? And why did the price of nearly 250 prescription drugs go up again at the beginning of 2025?

The answer: Big Pharma.

The drugmakers raise prices on essential medications year after year, too often forcing patients and families to make impossible choices between paying for the food, shelter and other basics they need to survive and the prescriptions they require to stay healthy.

Consider the rise in cost for popular GLP-1 medications used by patients to manage weight and diabetes. Nobody pays more than Americans for these drugs – routinely close to $1,000/month – yet Yale University researchers found GLP-1 medications cost less than $5/month to manufacture. That is an unjustifiable markup at the expense of American families.

Individual consumers aren’t the only ones getting sticker shock. Exorbitantly-priced medications result in big bills for government programs, like Medicare and Medicaid.

I know from my time in health care what happens when medicine gets too expensive – patients cut pills in half or stop taking their prescriptions altogether – whatever it takes to save money. As a result, illnesses worsen or turn into chronic disease. And that costs all of us.

Every year, Big Pharma spends millions of dollars on federal lobbying to protect its interests and prevent fair competition in the marketplace, plus tens of billions more on advertising and marketing to American consumers. Meanwhile, there is a revolving door between the pharmaceutical companies and federal agencies charged with regulating them, with officials leaving government service to accept high-paying jobs in the industry. No wonder the system is stacked in favor of Big Pharma and against patients.

 It’s anti-competitive and unjust. This year, the new administration and Congress have an opportunity to pass meaningful reforms that make medications more affordable, protecting patients and preserving public health. I urge Arizona’s entire congressional delegation to take advantage of this moment – Arizona nurses and health care workers will thank you!

 Robin Schaeffer is a registered nurse and former executive director of the Arizona Nurses Association..