[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H10020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SUPPORT LOWER DRUG COSTS NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Georgia (Mrs. McBath) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of H.R. 3, the 
Lower Drug Costs Now Act.
  I thank the Speaker and my colleagues for working so hard to bring 
this important piece of legislation to the floor. I believe there are 
few issues more significant and few issues more impactful to the lives 
of everyday Americans than the ever-increasing costs of healthcare and 
the lack of access to vital treatment.
  As a two-time breast cancer survivor, I know all too well the stress 
and the heartache of a life-changing diagnosis. Treatment was 
exhausting, both physically and emotionally, but I was truly blessed to 
be able to afford my medication.
  Even today, I continue to pay excessive out-of-pocket costs for my 
medication. However, I am lucky to be in a position where I do not have 
to make serious sacrifices to pay for the care that I need.
  Unfortunately, this is not reality for all Americans. We live in the 
richest Nation in the history of nations. This is the greatest country 
on Earth. I refuse to believe that we cannot find a solution that 
allows every American to afford the medications that they need.
  I have been shocked by the stories from my constituents about how 
pharmaceutical companies continue to gouge their pocketbooks and affect 
their quality of life.
  I heard a story recently of a mother in my district who wrote in 
about her son, who is 27 and has type 1 diabetes. He pays $400 a month 
for his insulin while also trying to repay his college loans from 
pursuing his master's degree. She wrote in to speak for her son because 
she is scared. Her son experiences the same hardship that so many 
Americans do because of a diagnosis they did not choose.
  Too often, stories like this end with a patient resorting to 
rationing of essential treatments, often with catastrophic results.
  These are lifesaving medications. They are not optional, and people 
should never have to make the unthinkable decision about whether to 
purchase their medications or put food on their tables or gas in their 
cars.
  On average, Americans pay three to four times as much for the same 
prescription drugs as people in other countries. Over the last two 
decades alone, the price of insulin has increased by 1,000 percent. 
There is no reasonable explanation for these costs, and the American 
people have had enough.
  The constantly rising prices have far-reaching consequences, 
increasing the price of health insurance premiums and eating into 
workers' wages.
  Let us be clear, it is taxpayer dollars and wages that go toward 
paying for these outrageous prescription drug prices, and it is time 
for Congress to say that enough is enough.
  This is the most comprehensive solution to our country's drug pricing 
problem ever to be seriously considered by the House of 
Representatives. This legislation would give Medicare the power to 
negotiate directly with the drug companies and create a powerful 
mechanism that forces drug companies to the table to compromise on real 
price reductions.
  It also stops pharmaceutical companies from overcharging Americans 
while charging other countries less for the same drugs, and it creates 
a $2,000 out-of-pocket limit on prescription drug costs for Medicare 
beneficiaries.
  Finally, it will reverse years of unfair price hikes above inflation 
across thousands of drugs in Medicare, making lower drug prices 
negotiated by Medicare available to Americans with private insurance, 
not just Medicare beneficiaries.
  The Lower Drug Costs Now Act is a good deal for the American people. 
It saves the taxpayers over $450 billion during the next decade and 
allows us to make long-sought-after investments into Medicare and the 
National Institutes of Health.
  In fact, this bill includes legislation that I wrote to include 
coverage of hearing aids in Medicare, making them affordable for our 
seniors. It will also deliver vision and dental benefits while 
investing huge sums into the search for new cures.
  All the mothers and fathers who lay awake at night worried about 
enrolling their kids in after-school activities or making their 
mortgage or car payments will benefit from this bill. We are fighting 
for them, and it is a fight that we intend to win.

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