Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages H10027-H10028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES NOW
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, every day I hear from my constituents in
Pennsylvania's Ninth Congressional District about the skyrocketing
costs of prescription drugs. Families should not have to dedicate such
a high percentage of their disposable income on prescription drugs, and
families should certainly not be forced to choose between buying
medication or putting food on their table.
Over 70 percent of Americans think that lowering prescription drugs
prices should be a top priority for Congress. Delivering for the
American people will require a bipartisan approach with proposals that
can actually pass the House and the Senate and be signed into law.
Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi's prescription drug pricing proposal,
H.R. 3, was crafted without any Republican input and will be dead on
arrival in the Senate.
A key component of H.R. 3 involves the Federal Government mandating
pricing for prescription drugs. While supporters of H.R. 3 describe
this as ``voluntary negotiation,'' manufacturers who decline to
participate in the process are taxed up to 95 percent of the medicine's
gross sales. That is 95 percent of the gross sales price.
This is not a negotiation. This is a heavyhanded government at its
worst. It is ridiculous. It is take this price or else. It is,
figuratively and literally, a poison pill provision to this bill.
Government, command central price setting is not only un-American, it
is ineffective. When we look at countries with heavyhanded approaches
to price controls, we find they have significantly less access to
lifesaving medications and treatments.
Of the 270 new medicines available in the United States, only 41
percent are available in Australia; 52 percent in Canada; 53 percent in
France; 67 percent in Germany; 48 percent in Japan; 64 percent in the
United Kingdom.
Imagine, in our country, a lifesaving drug being available in another
country but not available here. We can't imagine that.
Fortunately, House Republicans have found a solution to lowering
prescription drug prices without sacrificing American innovation or
harming access to lifesaving medications.
H.R. 19, the Lower Costs, More Cures Act, is a package of over 40
bipartisan provisions to lower out-of-pocket spending, strengthen
transparency, and spur competition.
H.R. 19 protects seniors by placing an annual cap on out-of-pocket
drug costs and establishing a ``smoothing'' mechanism to allow them to
distribute their prescription drug spending throughout the year. Rather
than heavyhanded government overreach, H.R. 19 stimulates free market
forces to spur innovation and lower costs by streamlining FDA approval
pipelines, increasing availability of over-the-counter products, and
prohibiting anticompetitive practices that prevent access to generics.
H.R. 19 makes insulin more affordable--so important--by capping the
costs at $50 a month after a Medicare beneficiary has met their
deductible. Under H.R. 19, doctors would know what a patient will have
to pay for a drug, allowing them to prescribe medication that addresses
the patient's needs and fits their budget.
Again, every single provision in H.R. 19 is bipartisan and could
actually become law. President Trump has made it abundantly clear that
lowering prescription drug prices is a top priority,
[[Page H10028]]
and H.R. 19 achieves this goal without harming innovation or access.
I am a cosponsor to this vitally important legislation, and I do urge
my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with the House
Republicans on delivering lower drug costs for the American people.
____________________
