[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11355]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       GLARING INADEQUACIES IN REPUBLICAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN

  (Mr. BROWN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, last Friday morning, while most 
Americans were still asleep, the Republican plan to create a drug 
benefit was pushed with brute force through the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce. While the Republican plan has too many flaws to mention in 1 
minute, its most glaring inadequacy is that it makes no provision for 
dealing with the outrageous prices Americans pay for prescription 
drugs.
  Apparently, Republicans and their corporate sponsors in the brand-
name drug industry do not believe high prices are a problem. Yet last 
year, prices for the 50 most prescribed drugs for seniors have risen 
three times the rate of inflation, and the prices for some popular 
drugs rose by 10 times the rate of inflation.
  Last week I sought to introduce an amendment that would have reduced 
drug prices for all Americans by reducing patent abuse and enhancing 
market competition. But the Republican leadership, which loves to 
champion the virtues of the free market, would not even let the 
Committee on Commerce consider the amendment.
  If we need another reason, another reason to oppose the Republican 
plan, which was written by and for the big drug companies, let it be 
known that the Republican plan does absolutely nothing to reduce drug 
prices.

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