In 2020, when anti-Asian violence and discrimination were reaching new levels, many in the community knew something had to be done. As a result, we formed the San Diego Asian Pacific Islander Coalition to support and uplift Asian-serving nonprofits and community organizations and organize dialogue across the region.
As co-chair of the San Diego API Coalition, I lead an organization that aims to mobilize the Asian-American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community when we’re under threat. This time, our community is facing a different kind of challenge: the ever-rising costs of prescription drugs.
During our organization’s meetings with community members, nonprofits and mutual aid networks, cost-of-living remains the most pressing issue for our neighbors. When food and rent need to be paid, families must sacrifice the medication they need because they simply can’t afford it.
Our communities are routinely assumed to be economically stable and in good health, otherwise viewed as the “model minority.” But the model minority myth goes beyond public perception, it also shapes policy design. As a result, our health burdens go consistently undercounted and unaddressed. The conversations the San Diego API Coalition has with its community members confirm this reality firsthand.
In fact, recent data shows 41% of AANHPI adults cited health care as the most important problem facing them and their family. Additionally, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations are more likely to develop serious conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, some types of cancer, heart failure and death compared to their white counterparts.
And yet, these populations are often struggling to afford the prescription drugs needed to treat these conditions. These burdens will only worsen as our community ages.
California is home to more than 7.2 million Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and Asian Americans were among the state’s fastest-growing racial groups between 2010 and 2020. UCLA’s Center for Health Policy Research projects that the number of Californians 65 and older will rise 59% by 2040, with the fastest growth among Latino and Asian older adults — precisely those most likely to rely on prescription drugs to manage chronic conditions.
And the cost of those medications keeps climbing. California’s Department of Managed Health Care reported that health plans paid roughly $14.9 billion for prescription drugs in 2024 — a 9.5% increase in a single year and a 72% jump since 2017. Prescription drugs now account for more than 15% of every premium dollar Californians pay, and drug costs are rising faster than overall medical expenses.
However, lower-cost alternatives to many expensive prescription drugs already exist, called biosimilars. Biosimilars are safe, FDA-approved alternatives to expensive, brand-name “biologics.” These are oftentimes drugs for chronic illnesses, helping our most vulnerable maintain their health. Since 2015, biosimilars have already generated $56.2 billion in savings for American patients and the healthcare system.
But in California, barriers remain to accessing these affordable prescriptions, and these barriers do not exist by accident. Big Pharma uses a combination of tactics to impose barriers in the biosimilars market, from unnecessary lawsuits to egregious lobbying spending.
According to the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, just seven medications cost the U.S. $1.2 billion in unnecessary and unjustified price hikes in 2022. Anti-competitive tactics like patent abuse from big drug companies cost U.S. consumers an additional $40.07 billion in 2019. By engaging in these practices, Big Pharma walks away with greater profits by passing costs down to patients.
A proposed piece of California legislation could be a solution to eliminate Big Pharma’s stranglehold, encourage the use of more affordable alternatives, and make prescription drugs more affordable. Senate Bill 1094 would allow pharmacists to substitute a biosimilar option when doing so would reduce a patient’s out-of-pocket cost. And that’s it. No hidden bureaucracy and no new spending, just removing the barriers Big Pharma has built against competition.
UC Berkeley’s Independent California Health Benefits Review Program found that SB 1094 would reduce total annual premiums by $87.7 million and lower individual cost-sharing by $92–$310 per year. For working AANHPI families in San Diego, especially ones already navigating cultural stigma around illness and limited access to care, this provides meaningful, tangible relief.
The San Diego API Coalition speaks not for one organization, but for dozens across the state — from student groups to labor unions to immigrant service providers — all of whom serve families navigating these costs every day. The communities we organize alongside are resilient, vibrant and deeply rooted in this region. They deserve a healthcare system that sees them and serves them. It is because of this that the San Diego API Coalition urges the legislature to pass SB 1094 for the Governor’s signature.
Alex Villafuerte is a co-founder of the San Diego Queer APIMEDA Coalition, an organization built to foster meaningful dialogue at the intersection of LGBTQIA+ and Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and Desi identities and to build civic and economic power within those communities. He also serves as marketing and communications manager at San Diego Pride.
