Glenn Grothman: “I also rise to speak against H.R. 3. To me, there are two segments of society in which the costs have gone out of…”

“I also rise to speak against H.R. 3. To me, there are two segments of society in which the costs have gone out of control and are really broken. One is the secondary education system, and the other is the medical situation. It is not surprising that the two areas that prices have spun out of control since I was a child are two areas in which the government has been most involved; and, therefore, we should be very measured before we become involved in a lot more government prescription or mucking around the medical industry. And I say that as somebody who is no friend of the drug companies. I think their behavior has become absolutely deplorable. Nevertheless, we have to remember that, when it comes to new drugs right now on the market, other countries have a lot less access than we do in America. In that regard, America is still number one. Only 36 percent of the new drugs are allowed into Australia, 46 percent in Canada, and under 60 percent in the U.K. We are still the envy of people in other parts of the world there. Of new cancer drugs launched in the last 8 years, 95 percent are available in the United States, 74 percent in the U.K., and less than 50 percent in Japan. The thing to remember which is so frequently true: Government involvement can be good, but a lot of times government involvement can make things worse. The next frustrating thing about this bill is there are good things that both sides could agree on and could pass right away.…”