Political Quotes

“I thank Congresswoman Schakowsky and Congresswoman Spanberger. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of my bill, the Real- Time Benefits Act, which has been incorporated into the bill before us today. The bill started with a very simple request from seniors in my district. People want to know how much a prescription will cost before they pick it up at the drugstore, and they deserve to know that it is the best possible price that they can get. This bill does that very thing. It provides Medicare patients with the information they need about the cost of the prescription and whether there are generic alternatives, as well as the best pharmacy for the best deal before they even leave the doctor's office. Right now, here is how the system works. A patient goes to the doctor, gets a prescription, and walks out. Then they take it to a local pharmacy, fill it, and pick it up. It is right then, at the counter, in front of everyone else, that they actually find out the price of their bill. There is no advanced warning, no comparison shopping, no offer of generics, and no way of knowing if a different pharmacy could have it cheaper. By the time you get to the pharmacy, they have you over a barrel. This bipartisan bill would fix that. Here is how it works. Insurers would be required to provide information to a common system, a real-time benefits tool, which doctors would access through their electronic prescribing program.…”