Political Quotes

“Madam President, I wonder if Americans think the cost of prescription drugs are too high. I wonder if Americans realize that the cost of prescription drugs are so high in this country that they are driving the cost of health insurance premiums up. Don't take my word for it. BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois told me that directly. Why are premiums going up? Prescription drug prices are going up. I wonder if the American people realize there are only two nations on Earth that allow drug companies to advertise drugs on television. You know one of them: United States of America. The other: New Zealand. No other country allows them to take place. I wonder if the American people realize that the same exact American drugs that are sold here at the highest prices are sold at a deep discount in other countries: Canada. In Canada, the reason American drugs cost less than they do in America is because the Canadian people won't tolerate the prices pharmaceutical companies charge people in this country. So they established standards and cut the prices for the exact same drugs made, manufactured, and sold in the United States. They are not alone. Europe does the same thing, bringing down these prices. So we decided that at least in one area--one area--we were going to make an exception to this overpricing of prescription drugs: the Veterans' Administration. We said it costs a lot to keep our promise to veterans who have served this country and need medical care afterward.…”