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(Portland, ME) |
Total Award: $50,000 over 1 year |
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Rx Express |
Program Contribution |
To support the Rx Express project to expand access to fairly priced prescription drugs by enabling the state of Maine to negotiate lower drug prices for uninsured residents. Maine Citizen Leadership Fund will work toward this goal by continuing to defend the Maine Rx Program, against pharmaceutical industry challenges in the federal courts. The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court to lift an injunction that prevented the state from implementing the program was a major victory; however, it is anticipated that the industry will return to the court in an effort to have the law deemed unconstitutional. The project will gather the information necessary to successfully combat the industry's next court challenge. It will expand grassroots support for fair drug pricing through its support of the Maine Senior Action Network and the Maine Council of Senior Citizens, and by using its web site to educate the public about the relationship between pharmaceutical marketing and advertising practices and the high cost of prescription drugs. In addition, MCLF will promote the Maine Rx Program as a model nationwide, and provide technical assistance to advocates in states that develop similar programs, if those programs are challenged in court.
This grant also satisfies:
Interprogram Initiatives for Social and Economic Justice: Objective I & II
