Prescription Drug Prices Threaten California’s Black Businesses

OPINION – Across California, African American entrepreneurs are driving innovation, creating jobs, and fueling local economies. But while our business community continues to grow, we face a challenge that no amount of grit or determination can overcome: the unsustainable cost of prescription drugs.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers have turned health care into one of the biggest expenses for working families and small businesses alike. Every year, drugmakers raise prices on medications that millions depend on, from diabetes treatments to asthma inhalers. And every year, those price hikes eat away at household budgets, employer health plans, and the economic stability of entire communities.

For California’s Black families, the burden is heavier still. We are more likely to live with chronic co