Prescription prices are inhumane

Recently, a friend forwarded me an article about the death of a 22-year-old man who was not able to afford a refill on a prescription. He suffered from asthma and needlessly died of a severe asthma attack which resulted in cardiac arrest. While this story is truly tragic, the reason for his death is why I am writing. Five days before his death, he went into the pharmacy to get a refill for his inhaler, according to the article. In the past, the cost of this refill would have been $70. He was shocked when told the refill now was over $500! Of course, he couldn't afford this and went home without the refill. Just five days later, he was dead. His parents are now suing the insurance company for not advising their insured of the price hike. They want companies to be responsible by giving people at least a 90-day warning of any price change. This seems reasonable to me. I certainly feel awful for this family and any others who cannot afford the price of prescriptions. Insurance companies made $6.1 billion in 2024, up from a five-year average of $2 billion. While I believe in companies making a profit, this seems inhumane to me. Rosalie Wohlfromm Auburn Who is paying for the Yankee Jims Bridge? I read with interest the article in the Auburn Journal, "Construction underway for new Yankee Jims Bridge" (May 28, page A1). This new bridge sounds like an excellent improvement to the older bridge, especially from a safety perspective, and emergency service accessibility will also benefit fellow citizens in need of our emergency services. I contacted Placer County, Department of Public Works, to inquire about the source of the funding for this bridge and was advised as follows: "The funds for this program originate from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Public Law 117-58). IIJA funding is drawn primarily from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, which is supported by federal fuel taxes. These funds are distributed by the federal government to states in large allocations, and each state – through its transportation department – has discretion to allocate funding to specific programs like HBP based on established criteria such as bridge condition and project readiness." I looked up the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Public Law 117-58) at uscode.house.gov. Public Law 117–58, of the 117th Congress is the act to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes. This Act may be cited as the "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act." November 15, 2021. I am thankful for this Infrastructure Investment, approved by the 117th Congress. I have noticed a huge uptick in infrastructure projects since this bill was enacted in 2021. My thanks to the 117th Congress, as well as the Biden Administration, for approving funds to improve our local and state infrastructure. Emily Gaber Auburn