[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 148 (Tuesday, December 5, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11564-S11565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RELIEF NEEDED FROM RISING PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES

  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to review where we stand, 
near the conclusion of the 106th Congress, on the subject of 
prescription drugs. Few issues have caught the public's attention more 
than this one, and few are more deserving of our attention.
  We live at a time when we can clearly discern remarkable benefits 
from all manner of drugs. It is nothing short of miraculous when we 
consider the relative ease and success of today's treatment of common 
disorders, as compared with that of only two or three generations ago.
  When World War II began, for example, penicillin and other similar 
antibiotics were known only to a small number of scientists. At the 
conclusion of the War in 1945, penicillin was widely available, used 
not only for battle wounds but for infectious diseases in the general 
public as well. Patients with high blood pressure or high cholesterol 
levels were, at best, only partially and inadequately treated in the 
1940's and 1950's. Now success is the rule, rather than the exception. 
Calvin Coolidge's son died in 1924 as a result of a blister and a skin 
infection after playing tennis at the White House. An infection like 
that today would be treated as simple, outpatient therapy.
  While these examples are noteworthy and provide us with a valuable 
perspective of times gone by, the hard, cold fact is that many of these 
modern miracles are still out of the reach of too many American 
citizens. They simply cannot afford the drugs that might so often prove 
lifesaving, because of either no insurance or lack of drug coverage 
within their insurance.
  Why is this? Because, astronomical prices have come hand-in-hand with 
the great improvements in drug therapy. Spending for prescription drugs 
in the United States doubled between 1990 and 1998. In each of the five 
years between 1993 and 1998, prescription drug spending increased by an 
average of 12.4 percent. In 1999, the increase was 19 percent. We could 
go into all the reasons, but the fact remains that prescription drug 
prices are high and getting higher.
  Many millions of Americans, both Medicare age and younger have either 
inadequate or no prescription drug insurance at all. A by-product of no 
coverage is that these patients wind up paying the highest rates of 
anyone--an average of 15 percent more than those with insurance. Many 
of these uninsureds, including the seniors often called The Greatest 
Generation'' are not filling prescriptions because of their cost--
choosing between food and medicine. Or they split pills in half to make 
them go farther. This is shameful. These are very real every day 
problems that beg for help.
  So, given the fact of these well documented problems, what is the 
track record of this Congress in helping the citizens in my home state 
of South Dakota and the citizens of the United

[[Page S11565]]

States? What do I tell my constituents back in Sioux Falls, or Custer, 
or Milbank when they ask me why nothing has been done to help them? I 
wish I could tell them that help is on the way. I wish I could tell 
them that the majority leadership heard their voices and scheduled the 
hearings and called for the votes. But, that just is not the case.
  Early in this Congress, I introduced, along with Senator Kennedy, the 
Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors of Act of 1999''. This bill 
would provide Medicare beneficiaries access to prescription drugs at 
the same low prices that drug manufacturers offer their most favored 
customers, such as large insurance companies, HMO's, and the Federal 
Government. Without cost to the taxpayers, my proposal could save 
seniors approximately 40 percent on their drug bills, yet we did not 
see a vote on this floor.
  Similarly, in May of this year, I introduced the Generic 
Pharmaceutical Access and Choice for Consumers Act''. This bill 
encourages the broader use of generics in Federal health programs, a 
straight-forward common sense approach, yet we did not see a vote on 
this floor.
  Other measures that could have made a tremendous difference to 
millions of Americans also languished. This Congress should have passed 
a voluntary universal Medicare drug benefit plan. It did not.
  This Congress should have addressed rising drug prices. It did not.
  This Congress should have passed a truly strong and effective drug 
reimportation plan. It did not.
  This Congress should have passed a generic drug access plan. It did 
not.
  Mr. President, let me conclude by stating that these problems will 
not go away. Nor will my commitment for their resolution on behalf of 
the people of South Dakota and Americans across this country. The hope 
that this Congress will seriously address prescription drug costs and 
provide comprehensive Medicare drug coverage yet this year is all but 
an aspiration at this point. That being said, in a few months we will 
commence the 107th Congress. I will continue to do all that I can to 
work with my colleagues and urge the earliest possible discussions 
regarding prescription drugs in committee rooms and on the floor of the 
Senate. I believe this is the wish of most of the members in this body, 
as well as the wish and hope of the American people.

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