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[Page H10020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORT LOWER DRUG COSTS NOW
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Georgia (Mrs. McBath) for 5 minutes.
Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 3, the
Lower Drug Costs Now Act.
I thank the Speaker and my colleagues for working so hard to bring
this important piece of legislation to the floor. I believe there are
few issues more significant and few issues more impactful to the lives
of everyday Americans than the ever-increasing costs of healthcare and
the lack of access to vital treatment.
As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I know all too well the stress
and the heartache of a life-changing diagnosis. Treatment was
exhausting, both physically and emotionally, but I was truly blessed to
be able to afford my medication.
Even today, I continue to pay excessive out-of-pocket costs for my
medication. However, I am lucky to be in a position where I do not have
to make serious sacrifices to pay for the care that I need.
Unfortunately, this is not reality for all Americans. We live in the
richest Nation in the history of nations. This is the greatest country
on Earth. I refuse to believe that we cannot find a solution that
allows every American to afford the medications that they need.
I have been shocked by the stories from my constituents about how
pharmaceutical companies continue to gouge their pocketbooks and affect
their quality of life.
I heard a story recently of a mother in my district who wrote in
about her son, who is 27 and has type 1 diabetes. He pays $400 a month
for his insulin while also trying to repay his college loans from
pursuing his master's degree. She wrote in to speak for her son because
she is scared. Her son experiences the same hardship that so many
Americans do because of a diagnosis they did not choose.
Too often, stories like this end with a patient resorting to
rationing of essential treatments, often with catastrophic results.
These are lifesaving medications. They are not optional, and people
should never have to make the unthinkable decision about whether to
purchase their medications or put food on their tables or gas in their
cars.
On average, Americans pay three to four times as much for the same
prescription drugs as people in other countries. Over the last two
decades alone, the price of insulin has increased by 1,000 percent.
There is no reasonable explanation for these costs, and the American
people have had enough.
The constantly rising prices have far-reaching consequences,
increasing the price of health insurance premiums and eating into
workers' wages.
Let us be clear, it is taxpayer dollars and wages that go toward
paying for these outrageous prescription drug prices, and it is time
for Congress to say that enough is enough.
This is the most comprehensive solution to our country's drug pricing
problem ever to be seriously considered by the House of
Representatives. This legislation would give Medicare the power to
negotiate directly with the drug companies and create a powerful
mechanism that forces drug companies to the table to compromise on real
price reductions.
It also stops pharmaceutical companies from overcharging Americans
while charging other countries less for the same drugs, and it creates
a $2,000 out-of-pocket limit on prescription drug costs for Medicare
beneficiaries.
Finally, it will reverse years of unfair price hikes above inflation
across thousands of drugs in Medicare, making lower drug prices
negotiated by Medicare available to Americans with private insurance,
not just Medicare beneficiaries.
The Lower Drug Costs Now Act is a good deal for the American people.
It saves the taxpayers over $450 billion during the next decade and
allows us to make long-sought-after investments into Medicare and the
National Institutes of Health.
In fact, this bill includes legislation that I wrote to include
coverage of hearing aids in Medicare, making them affordable for our
seniors. It will also deliver vision and dental benefits while
investing huge sums into the search for new cures.
All the mothers and fathers who lay awake at night worried about
enrolling their kids in after-school activities or making their
mortgage or car payments will benefit from this bill. We are fighting
for them, and it is a fight that we intend to win.
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