[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5903-S5904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Prescription Drug Costs

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, have you ever seen an ad for a 
pharmaceutical's prescription drugs on television? If the answer is no, 
then I would suggest you don't own a television, because literally 
every single day we are bombarded with ads for pharmaceuticals. And 
they are very profitable because the drugs themselves are expensive, 
and people are encouraged to say to their doctors: I think I need 
Xarelto.

[[Page S5904]]

  And the doctor might have to tell them: Xarelto has nothing to do 
with your current physical condition.
  But, doctor, I have seen it on television so many times, and those 
people seem so happy. They are dancing once they take Xarelto.
  Well, the doctors have to, many times, warn them about being lured 
into believing that it is something they need.
  But there are people who definitely do need prescription drugs, and 
we know that story as well. But many people, despite their best efforts 
to comply with what the doctor wants, can't afford it.
  Drugs cost a lot of money. In fact, they cost dramatically more money 
for exactly the same drugs in the United States as those for sale in 
Canada.
  Why? Because the Canadian Government cares and the Canadian 
Government has laws that limit the prices that can be charged to 
Canadians in their health system for the same prescription drugs. Many 
times, we don't have that.
  When he was campaigning for President in 2016, Donald Trump made it 
clear where he stood on this. I quote him: ``When it comes time to 
negotiate the cost of drugs, we are going to negotiate like crazy,'' he 
said in 2016. Then he got elected, and he said: Fixing the injustice of 
high drug prices is one of the top Trump priorities. Prices will come 
down, he said. But they never did. Despite years of talk, Trump 
failed--no greatness there.

  Thankfully, President Biden and Vice President Harris did more than 
just talk; they delivered. You see, for decades, the Medicare Program 
was blocked from bargaining with Big Pharma. Many of us kept arguing: 
Well, we let the Veterans Administration bargain to get lower prices 
for our veterans. Why wouldn't we do the same for elderly Americans?
  But we changed that. We changed it in a bill called the Inflation 
Reduction Act.
  Last month, President Biden and Vice President Harris succeeded in 
negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices for 10 of the 
most expensive drugs under Medicare. Some of the prices were lowered by 
up to 79 percent. As a result of this negotiation, 9 million seniors 
will save a total of $1.5 billion each year in copays on these 10 
drugs. That is real money, real savings for real people.
  For example, 142,000 seniors in Illinois take Xarelto or Eliquis as a 
blood thinner, costing Medicare nearly $25 billion last year. But 
thanks to the new law, Medicare was able to negotiate a price reduction 
of 60 percent, up to $3,840 off the annual pricetag for seniors who 
were taking these two blood thinners.
  Last week, I met with pharmacists from the University of Illinois in 
Chicago. They shared with me how many patients are forced to ration 
doses between paychecks. They said that should not be a reality in our 
Nation.
  Well, we are just getting started. Next year, Medicare will negotiate 
lower prices for another 15 drugs, and another 20 the year after that.
  We also capped the price of insulin to $35, thanks to the Presiding 
Officer, saving 50,000 seniors in Illinois approximately $500 next 
year.
  We made vaccines under Medicare free. Vaccines can be expensive. The 
shingles vaccine cost up to $385. Now they are free for seniors.
  Starting in January, we will impose a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-
pocket costs for seniors, no matter how expensive their medications 
are.
  But let me remind you--this is for a matter of record: Every single 
Republican Senator voted against these prescription drug savings. That 
bears repeating. Every single Republican Senator in this Chamber voted 
against this effort to lower prescription drug prices.
  While Big Pharma has raked in many millions and billions of dollars, 
they have also worked to block this law. They have Republican allies in 
Congress plotting how to repeal these historic price savings.
  How can the Republicans explain that? You have got seniors, many on 
fixed incomes, with expensive drugs that they need to stay alive, and 
they can't afford them.
  We believe those prices ought to come down for those seniors, like 
insulin. That is a life-or-death drug for many people. The fact that we 
want to lower prices for seniors is just common sense.
  So how do the Republicans explain it? You heard it earlier. Anyone 
who wants the government to step in and negotiate lower prices is a 
Marxist, a socialist, a communist. You hear this over and over again.
  Well, if you are a student of history, this is nothing new. That is 
what they said about Social Security. That is what they said about 
Medicare and Medicaid. They believe that there is just way too much 
government for the government to step in and lower prescription drug 
prices. I don't. I think that is a reasonable role by government.
  Remember, these same prescription drugs--virtually all of them--began 
with federally paid research, medical research by the National 
Institutes of Health, which taxpayers pay for. And the companies 
develop the drugs, and I thank God they do. But to say we should have 
nothing to say about the cost of those drugs and the burden they place 
on seniors is just unreasonable.
  When it comes to critical medications, no one should have to choose 
between their wallet and their life.