On the recordMarch 6, 2019
Today I rise in support of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, a bill that I am proud to cosponsor. This bill is a critical step in expanding access to quality affordable healthcare by bringing down prescription drug costs. Too many of my constituents and too many Americans across this country can't afford the healthcare coverage they need. There is no bigger driver of this problem than the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs. The United States pays the highest prices for prescription drugs in the world, and over the past decade, the prices of 90 percent of brand name drugs have more than doubled. How is it that one in five American adults cannot afford the medicine they need? In the wealthiest country in the world, it is inexcusable that we have seniors who have to choose between their prescriptions and buying groceries, cancer patients who can't afford their drugs, and diabetics who need to ration the insulin they need to survive. The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act couldn't be more commonsense. It allows the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate Medicare drug prices, putting consumers first, not the drug industry. My constituents sent me here with a clear mandate to fight for quality affordable healthcare, and this bill is a crucial part of that work. ____________________
