HIGH COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 121
(House of Representatives - July 18, 2019)

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[Page H7094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HIGH COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

  (Mr. PAPPAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of my constituents, 
Bob and Cathy, who shared their story recently with me at a roundtable 
discussion in Manchester.
  When Bob was in need of a kidney transplant, his wife, Cathy, was a 
match, and she donated her own kidney to overcome extensive wait times. 
Today, 15 years after Bob's successful surgery, he must continue to 
take antirejection drugs. This prescription has always been covered by 
Cathy's private insurance.
  Even as Bob and Cathy are near retirement age, retirement is not an 
option for them, because Bob's life is dependent on a prescription drug 
that costs $3,000 a month out of pocket.
  Nobody in America should be deprived the dignity of retirement after 
a lifetime of hard work because of the outrageous costs of lifesaving 
drugs. I am committed to working with my colleagues to ease the 
significant burden and anxiety that so many Americans unnecessarily 
face every day.
  We must tackle the high cost of prescription drugs now. The American 
people are counting on us to do just that.

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