[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H10027-H10028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, every day I hear from my constituents in 
Pennsylvania's Ninth Congressional District about the skyrocketing 
costs of prescription drugs. Families should not have to dedicate such 
a high percentage of their disposable income on prescription drugs, and 
families should certainly not be forced to choose between buying 
medication or putting food on their table.
  Over 70 percent of Americans think that lowering prescription drugs 
prices should be a top priority for Congress. Delivering for the 
American people will require a bipartisan approach with proposals that 
can actually pass the House and the Senate and be signed into law.
  Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi's prescription drug pricing proposal, 
H.R. 3, was crafted without any Republican input and will be dead on 
arrival in the Senate.
  A key component of H.R. 3 involves the Federal Government mandating 
pricing for prescription drugs. While supporters of H.R. 3 describe 
this as ``voluntary negotiation,'' manufacturers who decline to 
participate in the process are taxed up to 95 percent of the medicine's 
gross sales. That is 95 percent of the gross sales price.

  This is not a negotiation. This is a heavyhanded government at its 
worst. It is ridiculous. It is take this price or else. It is, 
figuratively and literally, a poison pill provision to this bill.
  Government, command central price setting is not only un-American, it 
is ineffective. When we look at countries with heavyhanded approaches 
to price controls, we find they have significantly less access to 
lifesaving medications and treatments.
  Of the 270 new medicines available in the United States, only 41 
percent are available in Australia; 52 percent in Canada; 53 percent in 
France; 67 percent in Germany; 48 percent in Japan; 64 percent in the 
United Kingdom.
  Imagine, in our country, a lifesaving drug being available in another 
country but not available here. We can't imagine that.
  Fortunately, House Republicans have found a solution to lowering 
prescription drug prices without sacrificing American innovation or 
harming access to lifesaving medications.
  H.R. 19, the Lower Costs, More Cures Act, is a package of over 40 
bipartisan provisions to lower out-of-pocket spending, strengthen 
transparency, and spur competition.
  H.R. 19 protects seniors by placing an annual cap on out-of-pocket 
drug costs and establishing a ``smoothing'' mechanism to allow them to 
distribute their prescription drug spending throughout the year. Rather 
than heavyhanded government overreach, H.R. 19 stimulates free market 
forces to spur innovation and lower costs by streamlining FDA approval 
pipelines, increasing availability of over-the-counter products, and 
prohibiting anticompetitive practices that prevent access to generics.
  H.R. 19 makes insulin more affordable--so important--by capping the 
costs at $50 a month after a Medicare beneficiary has met their 
deductible. Under H.R. 19, doctors would know what a patient will have 
to pay for a drug, allowing them to prescribe medication that addresses 
the patient's needs and fits their budget.
  Again, every single provision in H.R. 19 is bipartisan and could 
actually become law. President Trump has made it abundantly clear that 
lowering prescription drug prices is a top priority,

[[Page H10028]]

and H.R. 19 achieves this goal without harming innovation or access.
  I am a cosponsor to this vitally important legislation, and I do urge 
my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with the House 
Republicans on delivering lower drug costs for the American people.

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