Steven Holt: “I am sad to say that for the second time during this Congress, the House has considered legislation offering a false…”

“I am sad to say that for the second time during this Congress, the House has considered legislation offering a false promise to help for seniors struggling to pay for prescription medications. Last month, the House passed a bill that purported to offer Medicare prescription drug coverage. I have long supported providing seniors with a reliable, comprehensive, and affordable drug benefit under Medicare. I could not in good conscience vote for the bill passed by the House, however, because it would provide only a meager benefit while quite possibly leading to the death of the traditional Medicare program that has served seniors in my district so well. Congress has an obligation to help Americans who cannot afford the prescription drugs they need. Seniors need and deserve a voluntary, universal, prescription drug benefit under Medicare that can help lower prices using the collective buying power of the Medicare population. But making it easier to bring counterfeit, substandard medicines into the United States is not the way to help seniors get the drugs they need. H.R. 2427 poses a very serious danger--exposing American consumers to unsafe counterfeit drugs. The evidence of this is well documented. The Food and Drug Administration, which has for nearly a century been responsible for certifying the safety and efficacy of medications sold in the United States, opposes reimportation.”