Sheila Jackson Lee: “I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding. We want to rise and help all of the families, particularly those…”

“I thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding. We want to rise and help all of the families, particularly those families who every day are dealing with children and family members with disabilities. This is an instance where I say can we all get together and can we try to find a resolution toward making sure that we have good healthcare for these families and for these persons? What I would offer is that presently this legislation undermines the Affordable Care Act by stripping dollars from the Prevention and Public Health Fund and undermining its critical investments in health and well-being. It makes it very difficult to help those who need help. It would stop funding from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which supports critical investments to help prevent disease. At the same time, this legislation opens the possibility of limiting the use of any value metrics when determining a drug price. Furthermore, the Congressional Budget Office determined that this bill would raise drug costs for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Department of Defense. The CBO also estimates that this legislation would increase costs for Veterans Affairs health programs, raising Federal spending on prescription drugs by $1.115 billion over 10 years and billions more in the following decades. Americans are looking for answers, and they are looking for answers for all persons who need healthcare.…”