Political Quotes

“Today is a historic day for patients in this country because today we will be voting for a piece of legislation that my community in northern Illinois wants urgently. It cannot wait. I hear about unfortunate and unaffordably high drug prices every time I am home. Recently, a 15-year-old boy in my district who relies on insulin wrote to me: ``I am concerned with what my future holds. I need this medicine to live, and if the costs continue to rise . . . I am afraid that, one day, I won't be able to get the medicine and I will die.'' No one should be thinking about the possibility of death because they can't afford a common, live-saving medication, and the Lower Drug Costs Now Act delivers the reforms we critically need because the bill reduces out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs; it creates a new, $2,000 out-of-pocket limit for seniors; and it allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate a fair price for the highest cost drugs, which will reduce private insurances premiums and out-of- pocket costs. This legislation also incorporates my bill to prevent drug companies from making outrageous, unfair price hikes. And with the savings from lower drug costs, we reinvest in Medicare, expanding much needed hearing, dental, and vision services to seniors. I am proud of this bill. It is a product of countless hours of research and negotiation. I would like to thank the committee chairs, leadership members, and staff who made it possible.…”