September 26, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 156 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H7997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NEGOTIATED DRUG PRICING SHOULD BE ENACTED NOW

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, this week, the Committee on 
Ways and Means released a report highlighting the disparities between 
the cost of prescription drugs in the United States and other developed 
nations.
  This report found that on average, drug prices in the United States 
were nearly four times higher than prices in similar countries.
  The sky-high cost of prescription drugs affects all of our 
communities, and too many Americans cannot afford the medications they 
need. The Medicare Program alone last year spent $135 for prescription 
drugs.
  It is a lot of money, but it is also a lot of leverage, a lot of 
leverage that should be used to negotiate lower drug prices for 
Medicare and for the American people.
  Negotiated drug pricing should be enacted now.

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