Other than major shareholders in pharmaceutical companies, there are few people who could reasonably vote for Proposition 78 over Prop 79.

Prop 79 would benefit up to 10 million Californians, extending prescription drug discounts to families whose income is nearly $20,000 higher than the eligibility standard for Prop 78. Prop 79 also offers bigger discounts – 50 percent or more, versus 40 percent – and it requires a lower annual application fee.

Most importantly, however, Prop 79 would act as more than just a polite suggestion to pharmaceutical companies, establishing an oversight board and allowing the state to take its business elsewhere if a drug manufacturer refused to comply with the rebate program.

The only counterargument we could find that might dissuade a person from voting for Prop 79 was that it would enable individuals to file lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies if they thought the prices of their prescriptions were unreasonable. On the other hand, the proposition would also make drug profiteering illegal and would help prevent drug companies from taking advantage of those who need their products the most.

With healthcare costs on the rise, millions of Californians can’t afford the prescription medicine they need. Props 78 and 79 both claim to offer the necessary financial assistance, but only Prop 79 has the power to actually make it happen.