Byron Dorgan: “Senator Boxer raises the question that is raised in so many hearings. We had a woman testify at a hearing I held who…”

“Senator Boxer raises the question that is raised in so many hearings. We had a woman testify at a hearing I held who said something you hear often. She goes to a grocery store that has a pharmacy in the back of the store, and she takes a number of prescription drugs. By the way, a lot of senior citizens will take three, five, or seven. I have had senior citizens tell me they are on ten different prescription drugs for a whole series of health challenges and problems. This woman told me that when she goes to the grocery store, she must first go to the back of the store, to the pharmacy, to buy her medicine. She said that she does this so she will then know how much money she has left to purchase food. Only then will she know how much food she can buy. We hear that time and time again. Last year, spending on prescription drugs in America rose 16 percent. Some of that is price inflation; much of it is increased utilization.”