Political Quotes

“I thank my friend from Delaware for yielding. When we talk about the health care crisis in this country, it is not just health care, it is also the outrageously high cost of prescription drugs. I know in my State of Vermont, and in fact throughout this country, millions of people today are unable to afford the medicine they need. In fact, almost one out of five Americans who go to the doctor and get a prescription are unable to afford to buy the medicine their doctors prescribe. Frankly, that is insane because what happens if you don't take the medicine your doctor prescribed, often you are going to get sicker. Sometimes you may die. Sometimes you may end up in the emergency room. Sometimes you may end up in the hospital. It is literally beyond comprehension that almost one out of five Americans today are unable to afford the medicine they need. Meanwhile, while so many of our people cannot afford the medicine they need, the top five drug companies last year made $50 billion in profit--$50 billion in profit. The top 10 CEOs in the pharmaceutical industry earned over $300 million. So what we have is a scenario in which the American people pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Millions cannot afford the medicine they desperately need, but at the same time the drug companies make out like bandits, and their CEOs earn exorbitant compensation packages. I happen to live 50 miles away from the Canadian border.…”