Political Quotes

“Please advise me when I have 2 minutes. One of the special interest groups with more power in Washington than any others is the pharmaceutical industry. We have seen it time and time again. When we go into a bill for Medicare prescription drug benefits, we say: Would you not want Medicare to bargain with the drug companies so seniors across America would pay lower prices? No way. It was kept out of the bill so that the pharmaceutical and drug companies can charge exorbitantly high prices to American citizens. That is why people are going to Canada, Mexico, and Europe trying to find cheaper drugs. It is because their Governments care, they force competition, they keep prices down. Not our Government. Along comes a trade agreement. What could that have to do with the pharmaceutical companies and drug companies? There are roughly 165,000 people in the Central American nations living with HIV/AIDS. These are low-income countries where the people are struggling to survive and medicine is barely affordable. Doctors Without Borders--you may have heard of this fabulous organization based out of France, doing wonderful work all around the world. They provide drugs to HIV patients, and 1,600 in Guatemala alone. They rely on generic drugs because they cannot afford the most expensive drugs. They cost less than brand-named drugs. They can keep a person alive with HIV/AIDS in Guatemala for $216 a year. If they had to pay for the brand name, it would be $4,818.…”