Lowering Prescription Drug Prices

Floor Speech

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Ms. CRAIG. Mr. Speaker, the number one issue that my constituents have asked me to address is the price of healthcare and, especially, the cost of prescription drugs. It is long past time for commonsense legislation to end the ban on price negotiation for drugs for our Nation's Medicare patients.

This one action will hold Big Pharma accountable and encourage more competition. That is why the special interests have opposed H.R. 3, because it forces them to lower their prices for U.S. patients.

We can use the money saved to lower premiums, cap out-of-pocket costs for our Nation's seniors, and invest in the National Institutes of Health's lifesaving research and innovation.

These are decisions that impact real people. Take my constituent from Rosemount. He has Crohn's disease and takes a medication called Canasa. When he started taking the drug, it was $100 for a 30-day supply. Over the past 10 years, that has skyrocketed to $1,500 a month. In Canada, that same drug costs $75 a month.

It is time to stop talking and take action.

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