As Illinois lawmakers tinker with bills for prescription drugs, worry sets in
The cost of prescription drugs could increase in Illinois under legislation being considered by state lawmakers, and that concerns one small business owner.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
Affordable prescription drugs are not a luxury. They're essential and medically necessary. They're crucial for businesses responsible for providing health care coverage to their employees, and they're critical for families like mine who find themselves at the pharmacy counter to treat life-threatening health conditions.
I know firsthand the importance of affordable prescriptions. When one of my twin sons had a kidney transplant two years ago, access to prescription drugs was a critical part of his journey back to health.
And as the executive director of the Midwest Business Association, I understand how employers rely on flexible health plans to keep costs down for their business and provide affordable, high-quality coverage to their employees.
SEND LETTERS TO: letters@suntimes.com. To be considered for publication, letters must include your full name, your neighborhood or hometown and a phone number for verification purposes. Letters should be a maximum of approximately 375 words.
Our association keeps a close eye on issues that may impact businesses. Illinois House Bill 4548, regarding pharmacy benefit managers, would add a $10.49 professional dispensing fee to many prescriptions. Increasing health care costs for Illinois families and businesses can cripple employers, employees and their children.
It would also prohibit certain pharmacy benefits that keep medications affordable and accessible while allowing big drug companies to continue to charge sky-high prices. That's a bitter pill to swallow.
What I know is that families like mine, the small businesses we work with and their employees need affordable prescription drug coverage. The focus and attention should be on the real cause of high prescription drug prices. Bottom line: The big drug companies that make enormous profits off Illinois businesses and hard-working families should not harm the families and businesses they serve.
Blevian Moore, executive director, Midwest Business Association, South Holland
Speeding on expressways is the problem
I don't get it. The article quoting city officials in "Could 25 mph limit make 'dramatic difference?' " starts with "Hundreds of Chicago lives could be saved from traffic crashes every year." Then it goes on to say that "roadway fatalities crested with more than 180 deaths in 2021" and ebbed to 115 last year.
If this is the case, how is it possible that lowering the speed limit on certain corridors would save "hundreds" of lives? The math doesn't add up.
The real problem is on the expressways, where an unacceptable number of people unconscionably drive at 80 to 100 mph. I know because I experience it every time I go out. Ald. David Moore (17th) is correct in questioning how the police can enforce the lower speed limit. They can't even enforce the existing limit.
But more to the point, I hope that law enforcement can do more to control the expressways, which are far more dangerous than the city streets.
Mel Theobald, Printers Row
Drivers, pedestrians and cyclists can make roads safer
Lowering the speed limit in Chicago will not stop people from speeding. Most drivers do not obey the 30 mph limit currently in place. Anyone who has driven on or walked across any street in the city can attest.
The financial burden associated with replacing all of the signs alone is wasteful. Enforcing such a limit is nearly impossible. Police will be accused of wrongfully pulling people over, and the speed cameras will ring like cash registers.
If drivers would follow the current speed limits, if pedestrians would look up when crossing the street and if cyclists would obey the traffic laws, more lives could be saved than by lowering the speed limit.
Joe Ferro, Garfield Ridge