Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I thank everyone who worked so hard on the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. As so many of my colleagues have said already, this is a groundbreaking bill. Medicare is the biggest purchaser of medications in the world, and it should absolutely have the power to negotiate costs, and we should not continue to pay three to four times more than the rest of the world for our medications. With negotiation, this bill saves hundreds of billions of dollars, and we are going to use that money well. Part is for research, but one of the ways is my bill, included in H.R. 3, that requires Medicare to cover vision care. Medicare part B covers cataract surgery and yearly glaucoma tests, but it does not cover routine eye exams, glasses, or contact lenses, and this is a tremendous gap in coverage for our seniors. We want to make sure seniors can live independently for as long as possible, and part of this is making sure they can see well enough to drive to appointments, walk safely around the house, and carefully read their prescription bottles. Also, poor vision can limit physical activity and increase isolation, leading then to deteriorating health. As a doctor, I am concerned about the number of older Americans who have not had an eye exam in well over a year and might have undiagnosed eye conditions. By expanding Medicare part B to cover vision care, we will ensure that older Americans will be able to access affordable care.”