Chuck Grassley: “one of the things on this issue that is so misleading is the impression that this legislation does not allow Medicare to…”

“one of the things on this issue that is so misleading is the impression that this legislation does not allow Medicare to negotiate. The opposite is true. This legislation requires negotiation. That is what the plans are doing all the time to drive down the price of drugs--what it does to drive down the price of the premium way below what we thought it would be. Again, everything is backward when they talk about this. In the real world, there are choices. Wherever you want to go for any consumer products, those stores negotiate prices to get good prices. It is just a way to get the job done. Statistics that have come in on this show that competition is driving down the price of drugs--the 25 leading drugs--by 35 percent on average this ought to show that this process is working. The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has expired. The yeas and nays have been ordered. The question is on agreeing to the amendment of the Senator from Maine. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant morning business clerk called the roll. Mr. McCONNELL. The following Senator was necessarily absent: the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Coleman). Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Coleman) would have voted ``no.''”