Surprise junk fees: I want to hear your story

You may have seen U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra was in our district last week discussing important prescription drug provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. Before that press conference, though, we had a few meetings I want to tell you about.

I invited Secretary Becerra to our 7th Congressional District because of your calls, emails and letters surrounding high prescription prices, drug shortages and maternal health disparities. It’s important for federal officials to see firsthand the issues that affect Michiganders in their daily lives.

First, we met with local hospital leaders, so Secretary Becerra could hear directly from them about the issues they’re facing.  Our first priority was the ongoing shortage of lifesaving cancer drugs that has forced our hospitals in Michigan to ration care. This crisis has shown once again that maintaining a sufficient supply of pharmaceuticals is critical for not just patients, but for our national security.  This issue of supply-chains for critical items has become a bit of an obsession of mine since shortages upended our economy during the pandemic.  It’s why I co-founded the bipartisan Domestic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Caucus and have introduced legislation, like the Ensuring Access to Lifesaving Drugs Act, to keep vital medicines on pharmacy shelves.

In our second meeting with Secretary Becerra, we met with advocates and talked about the issue of black maternal health.  Today, Black & Native American women are three to four times more likely to die from complications surrounding pregnancy & childbirth than white women. Our meeting allowed Secretary Becerra to learn about the systemic & financial challenges faced by those who’ve been in the trenches on this issue. Thank you to the doctors, midwives, doulas, & public health & nonprofit leaders who provided ways to address this issue at the federal level.

Finally, we held a press conference on the Inflation Reduction Act.  This bill sends a really clear signal to the rest of the prescription drug world that the day where you can just charge whatever you want — where there’s no transparency on the price of medication — is an era that’s coming to an end.

I am thankful to all those who helped us have a productive day discussing federal solutions that would help Michiganders.

Rep. Slotkin

Have you ever had to pay a junk fee? Junk fees are hidden or surprise charges often added right at the end of transactions – and they cost American consumers tens of billions of dollars each year.

Junk fees are often associated with airline tickets, surprise medical billing, event tickets, cable bills, rental applications, ATMs, hotel or resort fees, and bank overdraft charges – but they can crop up just about anywhere.

My colleagues and I in Congress are collecting Americans’ stories on dealing with junk fees to share in our efforts to crack down on this unfair and deceitful practice. In the coming weeks, we’ll be holding a press conference with constituents to take action, and I want to share your story.

Click here to share your personal stories of encountering junk fees.

It’s long past time to end these junk fees, take on corporate greed, and lower costs for hardworking Michigan families.

Thank you for your participation and for helping to lower costs, protect consumers, and foster a more competitive market.

– Rep. Elissa Slotkin