Elijah Lewis: “Mr. Speaker, our seniors are still paying too much for lifesaving prescription drugs, and today we must ease that…”

“Mr. Speaker, our seniors are still paying too much for lifesaving prescription drugs, and today we must ease that burden. Seniors should not have to choose between paying for their medicines and paying to heat their homes or putting food on their table, and that is still a decision that too many of our seniors have to make. Seniors saw their premiums go up and their drug prices go up. People living on fixed incomes cannot afford these increases. The big drug companies are the big winners under the prescription drug plan. They are getting a great deal, but the seniors are getting a bad deal, a raw deal. The drug companies' profits increased over $8 billion in the first 6 months of the prescription drug plan, $8 billion, while our seniors and taxpayers pay the bill. It is wrong and it is unnecessary; and today it is our duty, our obligation and a mandate to change that and bring down drug prices. It is common sense to negotiate with drug companies to get lower drug prices. It is very simple. It is not that difficult. The VA does it and HHS has already done it too. It is our duty to our seniors and to the taxpayers to lower drug prices. To do anything less is unfair to our seniors and a waste of money and a gift to the drug companies.”