To the Journal editor:

When politicians know they are powerless to fix a problem affecting their constituents and they have no meaningful answers when confronted, they revert to the time-tested process of forming a committee, board or council to give the appearance that something is being done to provide relief to those they represent.

State Rep. Jenn Hill, D-Marquette, recently held a town hall meeting in Marquette to discuss the formation of a prescription drug affordability board at the state level to include a 21-member stakeholder council.

To support this effort, taxpayers in Michigan, through the Michigan Department of Treasury, will be funding this body to the tune of $3-4 million annually.

Yes, several other states have such a program in place, some for a couple years. Yet, I can find nowhere have they accomplished anything other than being taken to court by the pharmaceutical industry, leading to additional costs to those states affected.

No doubt, we are all being gouged by big pharma, but such cosmetic efforts serve no meaningful purpose other than to give politicians the appearance that they are doing something.