Kathy Castor: “I want to thank my colleague from Florida (Ms. Shalala) for yielding time and, also, for her leadership throughout the…”

“I want to thank my colleague from Florida (Ms. Shalala) for yielding time and, also, for her leadership throughout the years in fighting to keep drug costs low. It really matters to families all across this country. I feel like shouting this from the top of the Capitol dome: We are going to pass a bill that will allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices in America. This is kind of an all-American concept, isn't it, negotiate fair prices? But for too long, Big Pharma, these drug companies, have gouged American families and consumers, and they have taken advantage of it, haven't they? I mean, these prices are astronomical. Families across America are often paying 4, 5, 10 times more the amount for their prescriptions than families in other countries. That is not right, and it is especially not right in this country where it is the U.S. taxpayer who is often providing the funding for the basic research to develop these drugs. So let's all shout it from the Capitol dome, the very top: We are going to allow--we are going to direct Medicare to negotiate prices to bring the cost of prescription drugs down. We are going to not just contain that in Medicare, but make sure that it is spread, and those cost savings are realized for all of the families who rely on private insurance. And then, with the billions of dollars in savings, we are going to improve Medicare. For a long time, Medicare has not provided comprehensive benefits for vision, for hearing, for dental care.…”