My wife and I just got our second boosters, and we continue to wear masks in stores and restaurants. Yes, mask wearing is optional, and we opt to do so, for our benefit as well as that of others.
- David Shumway, West Carrollton
I appreciate the April 20 column author’s work in the healthcare field and desire to see affordable prescription drugs become available for the good of consumers. The column stated that PBM’s are dedicated to making prescription drugs more affordable, and while there is truth to that, they also have a job to make profit and revenue for themselves and their shareholders. This pursuit of profit can make gray areas around the PBM label as the “good guys” that only seek the benefit of consumers. PBM’s are known to generate over $300 billion annually for themselves and their shareholders, topping many drug manufacturers. This raises serious red flags about their pursuits and how this money is generated and distributed, and, if their pursuits truly do keep consumers in the forefront of the endeavors and get these consumers the lowest prices possible. The author raised concern about Ohio legislators examining the role of PBM’s, but the reason this is occurring in Columbus is because it’s become evident that it’s warranted and needed, and states all across the nation are doing so. The FTC even recently began soliciting public opinion on PBM’s in hopes of reforming their practices. These talks at the state level are important if we truly want transparency and the lowest prices for consumers.
- Matt Bear, West Chester
When signatures were needed to put the redistricting constitutional amendment onto the ballot, my husband and I knocked on many doors to obtain them. It was actually a very rewarding experience because we did not know or care whether the doors we were knocking on were those of Republicans or Democrats. All we had to do was show them the last two redistricting maps, one drawn by Republicans and one drawn by Democrats, and people looked at them and said, “This is crazy.” The districts wiggled and curved all over the place. People were more than happy to sign the petition for the constitutional amendment. Then when the voting results came in and it passed by a whopping 71.47%, it seemed that there was a clear message from the citizens of Ohio that we wanted our districts to show a fair representation. We were looking forward to that new redistricting this year but the committee has just destroyed my confidence in some state officials. I am especially disappointed with Governor DeWine. He is a member of the redistricting committee and should have enough leadership skills and constitutional responsibility to call that committee back into session and demand that the redistricting map meet the clearly defined criteria to get the approval of the Ohio State Supreme Court. If not, I hope the Ohio State Supreme Court decides to act like I did when I was a teacher with a couple of students who constantly bickered: I put them in a room together and told them to stay in that room together until they devised a plan to fix their problem. They came out about 45 minutes later with a plan they both agreed to. Maybe the Supreme Court should take the whole committee and confine them to some kind of lockdown situation and tell them they’ll be released when a constitutional map is drawn.
- Carol Parete, Vandalia