May 2, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 72 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H3429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE RISING COST OF HEALTHCARE

  (Mr. McADAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise to address what, for my 
constituents, is an urgent concern: the rising cost of healthcare. I 
hear about it everywhere I go.
  Healthcare is personal. Having access to quality, affordable care is 
central to our quality of life and our ability to decide where we live 
and where we work.
  At a healthcare townhall I held last week, I heard from people such 
as a small business owner who worried that, while the very poor and 
wealthy have coverage options, she struggles to find an affordable 
policy for her family. She said: Please don't forget about people like 
me.
  Another woman talked about how complicated her copays were for the 
drug treatment prescribed by her doctor, and another asked about the 
confusion surrounding billing codes and invoices.
  Healthcare is probably the most complex issue we will address in 
Congress. My top goals include to ensure that Federal law continues to 
protect people with preexisting conditions, to promote coverage and 
enrollment, and to find solutions to bring down costs.
  I believe that a good first step will be passing three bipartisan 
bills to make the drug market more competitive and prices more 
transparent:
  The CREATES Act, which address an outrageous action by some name-
brand companies to unfairly stop generics;
  The BLOCKING Act, to stop ``first'' generic drug ``parking''; and
  The drug price STAR Act, to improve transparency.
  With the cost of prescription drugs increasing dramatically, we need 
to take steps now.

                          ____________________