[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 6, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
           EXPANDING ACCESS TO QUALITY AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE

  (Mr. DELGADO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
one minute.)
  Mr. DELGADO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the Medicare 
Drug Price Negotiation Act, a bill that I am proud to cosponsor. This 
bill is a critical step in expanding access to quality affordable 
healthcare by bringing down prescription drug costs.
  Too many of my constituents and too many Americans across this 
country can't afford the healthcare coverage they need. There is no 
bigger driver of this problem than the skyrocketing cost of 
prescription drugs.
  The United States pays the highest prices for prescription drugs in 
the world, and over the past decade, the prices of 90 percent of brand 
name drugs have more than doubled.
  How is it that one in five American adults cannot afford the medicine 
they need?
  In the wealthiest country in the world, it is inexcusable that we 
have seniors who have to choose between their prescriptions and buying 
groceries, cancer patients who can't afford their drugs, and diabetics 
who need to ration the insulin they need to survive.
  The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act couldn't be more 
commonsense. It allows the Department of Health and Human Services to 
negotiate Medicare drug prices, putting consumers first, not the drug 
industry.
  My constituents sent me here with a clear mandate to fight for 
quality affordable healthcare, and this bill is a crucial part of that 
work.

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