Political Quotes

“perhaps people then will ask a simple question: How does it happen? How does the same exact same medicine sold in the United States sell in countries around the world for a fraction of the price that we have to pay? The answer is severalfold. No. 1, we are the only major country on Earth, of course, that does not have a national health care system guaranteeing health care to all people. We are the only major country on Earth not to have that. As part of that problem, we are the only major country not to negotiate drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry. You can walk into a drug store today, and the price could be double or three times what you paid a year ago. There is no law to stop them. They can and they will raise prices as high as the market will allow. If people die as a result of that, not a problem for them. If people get sick, not a problem for them. Perhaps next to Wall Street, the pharmaceutical industry is the most powerful political force in this country. They have spent more than $3 billion on lobbying since 1998, and they have 1,400 lobbyists on Capitol Hill. We have 100 Senators. There are 435 Members of the House. Yet the drug companies have 1,400 lobbyists on Capitol Hill. They have lobbyists all over the country in every State capital. These are no small-time lobbyists. These are former leaders of the Democratic Party, leaders of the Republican Party, people who have enormous contacts.…”