[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 168 (Wednesday, October 23, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                        PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES

  (Mr. SCHRADER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. SCHRADER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3, the 
Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019.
  It is high time that our struggling seniors are given the right to 
negotiate drug costs just like we have in commercial plans, the 
Veterans Administration, the Department of Defense, and Medicaid.
  Seniors should not be subject to artificially high copays and out-of-
pocket expenses because of an out-of-date law that prohibits Medicare 
from negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies. Price 
negotiation is a free market principle that our country embraces in 
almost every other aspect of life. Why should our seniors not have the 
same right?
  H.R. 3 also limits Medicare part D out-of-pocket expenses to $2,000 a 
year. This aligns closely with how the private market works and a 
Senate companion bill.
  Making sure seniors can afford their medicines keeps them out of the 
expensive hospital system and saves patients and taxpayers, alike, lots 
of money.
  Finally, there is an effort in the bill to limit the inflationary 
impact on drug costs that have been on the market for a long time and 
improve price transparency so we can actually shed some light on what 
is going on.
  This is long overdue. It is time for bipartisan and bicameral action 
on one of the most pressing issues of our day for seniors and all 
Americans.

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