[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 1083]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

  (Mr. MICHAUD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, today I strongly support the prescription 
drug bill that will be coming up today for a vote. I commend the 
leadership for bringing this legislation to the floor as a central part 
of the first 100 hours.
  When the Medicare drug bill was being assembled, the pharmaceutical 
lobby convinced its authors to write rules into the bill that would 
forbid ever negotiating for lower-cost prescription drugs. These drug 
companies charged American consumers far more than anyone else in the 
world.
  This bill today would allow the Secretary to negotiate for lower-cost 
prescription drugs. This is a commonsense solution that could have 
enormous cost savings for seniors and the government. The VA 
Administration already does this effectively; so does every other 
industrialized country in the world.
  My own State of Maine has led the way in implementing this approach 
at the State level. I have introduced my America Rx bill based on 
Maine's approach in the past Congresses. I am so pleased that this bill 
today does that same thing, and I urge my colleagues to support this 
bill.

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