CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Senator Tim Kaine, who is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, participated in a roundtable discussion with Jefferson Area Board for Aging in Charlottesville to address the issue of prescription drug costs and healthcare with local seniors and health care providers.

"Overwhelmingly, what I hear is, 'Thanks for the reduction in prescription drug prices, but it's still too complicated,'" said Kaine.

The meeting reflects his ongoing advocacy for reducing the financial burden of health care and prescription drugs.

"There's a heavy consumer protection theme to this conversation," he said.

Kaine's goal Friday was to inform the board about the advances in prescription affordability since the Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law in 2022.

"Right now, we see a lot of marketing from particular insurance companies, pushing products in Medicare that may not be the best product for the beneficiary," said Randy Rodgers, the manager of insurance counseling with JABA.

But some of the people who spoke, like Rodgers, started to express their frustration with the rise of predatory marketing practices.

"They weren't seeing these types of practices, they've gotten worse. Now, exactly why they've gotten worse, I don't know why," said Kaine.

Rodgers hopes Kaine brings a feel for how complicated Medicare and the surrounding programs are back to Capitol Hill.

"It would be nice to see, as we move forward some restrictions in place so that people are not taken advantage of," said Rodgers.

Kaine says addressing predatory practices won't be easy because the First Amendment may stand in the way. He says the Supreme Court has decided it protects commercial speech.

"But I do think the more we can bring down the costs then that's not the same as avoiding disinformation, but everyone can benefit from bringing down costs on drugs," he said

In 2023, Kaine introduced other legislation, like the HELP Copays Act and the DRUG Act, that would protect patients from price-gouging.