Vol 10 - January 2026: Free Prescription Drugs for Seniors, Disabled Citizens, and Veterans

Pillar Six of the MAGNA Agenda: Free Prescription Drugs for Seniors, Disabled Citizens, and Veterans

Welcome back to Straight Talk with Casey—your monthly source of bold, common-sense reform for hardworking Americans across Illinois and beyond.

Over the past several months, we’ve been walking through the MAGNA Agenda—Making America the Greatest Nation Again—one real-life issue at a time. From property taxes that never end, to retirement income being taxed twice, to giving young Americans and small businesses a fair shot at building a future, every pillar comes back to the same question:

Why does Washington keep making life harder for people who did everything right?

Last month, we focused on giving new small businesses a five-year federal tax holiday—because no one should be taxed out of existence before they ever turn a profit.

This month, we take on a crisis that’s quieter—but just as devastating:

The cost of prescription drugs.

“No senior, veteran, or disabled American should ever have to choose between their medicine and their groceries.”— Casey Chlebek

What I’m Hearing Across Illinois

Everywhere I go, the stories are the same.

A senior who skips doses so a prescription lasts longer.

A veteran who hesitates before asking the pharmacist what it costs.

A parent caring for a disabled loved one, quietly doing the math month after month.

These aren’t people looking for handouts. They worked. They served. They played by the rules.

And yet, they’re being punished at the pharmacy counter.

Washington calls this a “complex system.” I call it broken.

The Truth About Drug Prices

The problem isn’t the medicine.The problem isn’t the pharmacist handing it across the counter.And it’s not American innovation— which saves lives every day.

The real problem is a layer of price-gouging middlemen operating almost entirely out of sight.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers—PBMs—insert themselves between drug manufacturers, insurers, pharmacies, and patients. They negotiate secret rebates, drive up list prices, and pocket the difference—while seniors and veterans are left paying more.

That’s not a free market. That’s a rigged system.

And no one voted for it.

What Other Nations Get Right

Here’s a hard truth Washington doesn’t like to admit:

America spends more on prescription drugs than any country in the world—yet our seniors and veterans are among the most stressed at the pharmacy counter.

That’s not because Americans are sicker. It’s because our system is more distorted.

Generous health care benefits are guaranteed by many countries around the World, for example, look at  Israel—a nation with a Universal Health Care system provides a statutory health insurance for all citizens and residents. Israel prioritizes medical innovation, national security, and fiscal discipline. Israeli patients routinely pay a fraction of what Americans pay for the same medications. Not because Israel stifles innovation—but because it doesn’t allow opaque middlemen to inflate prices behind closed doors.

Other advanced nations follow the same principle, even if their systems differ:

• Germany limits administrative waste and ensures negotiated prices actually reach patients

• Japan aggressively reduces excessive markups while preserving private pharmaceutical development

• Switzerland, one of the most market-oriented healthcare systems in Europe, maintains competition while capping abusive pricing layers

None of these countries ration insulin. None tell seniors to “shop around” for life-saving medicine. And none tolerate a system where the people paying the bills never see the savings.

The lesson isn’t to copy another country’s healthcare system.

The lesson is this: When you eliminate middlemen and enforce transparency, patients win.

The Economic Impact — Not Just the Moral One

High prescription drug costs don’t just hurt families. They quietly drain the American economy.

Today, the average senior spends between $3,000 and $4,500 per year out of pocket on prescription drugs, with costs rising fastest for those managing chronic conditions. For many households on fixed incomes, that means $250 to $400 every month diverted away from groceries, utilities, local businesses, and savings.

That money doesn’t disappear — it flows upward into opaque middlemen accounts instead of circulating through local economies.

The ripple effects are real: When seniors spend hundreds of dollars each month on medication:

• Local consumer spending declines, especially in small towns and working-class communities

• Preventive care is delayed, leading to more expensive hospitalizations later

• Emergency room usage increases, driving higher Medicare and Medicaid costs

Health economists estimate that avoidable hospitalizations tied to medication non-adherence cost federal programs tens of billions of dollars each year — costs that taxpayers ultimately absorb. The same pattern holds for veterans and disabled Americans.

When medication costs become unpredictable or unaffordable:

• Workforce participation drops, especially among disabled adults who could otherwise work part-time

• Family caregiving hours increase, reducing household productivity and income

• Long-term federal healthcare spending rises, as unmanaged conditions escalate into acute crises

In other words, high drug prices don’t save the government money — they cost it more over time.

A Straightforward Fix

Pillar Six of the MAGNA Agenda takes a direct, no-nonsense approach.

We don’t need socialized medicine.

We don’t need government price controls.

And we don’t need more bureaucracy.

What we need is accountability.

Here’s what that looks like:

First, eliminate price-gouging middlemen from federal programs. If a dollar is negotiated on your behalf, it should benefit you—not a corporate intermediary hiding behind fine print.

Second, guarantee zero out-of-pocket prescription costs for seniors, disabled citizens, and veterans. No copays. No deductibles. No surprises. If you qualify, your prescription is covered. Period.

Third, pay for it by redirecting waste already buried inside federal health programs. No new taxes. No rationing. No broken promises.

Just common sense.

Why This Matters Here at Home

Illinois seniors live on fixed incomes.

Illinois veterans were promised care when they served.

Illinois families care for disabled loved ones every single day.

They upheld their end of the bargain.

Washington hasn’t.

This pillar says: that changes now.

This Is About Dignity

Health care policy can sound abstract in Washington. But in real life, it’s deeply personal.

It’s the anxiety before a refill runs out. It's the quiet embarrassment no one should ever feel. It’s the choice no American should be forced to make.

Medicine should heal.

It should restore.

It should never bankrupt the people who earned this country’s respect.

That’s what this pillar is about.

Coming Next Month: Pillar Seven – Restore Dignity Through Work and Ownership

Next month, we’ll turn to the final pillar of the MAGNA Agenda—Restore Dignity Through Work and Ownership—and why public service should never be about a paycheck, perks, or power.

If prescription drug costs have affected you or someone you love, I want to hear your story. Email info@caseyforsenate.com.

Together, we can fix what Washington broke—and restore dignity where it belongs.

Yours in service,

Casey Chlebek

Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate, Illinois