Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. DelBENE. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act.

The rising costs of prescription drugs is one of the top issues I hear about from my constituents, and it has been getting worse.

This year alone, I have received nearly four times as many calls and letters about prescription drug prices than all of last year. And there are many, many stories, but I would like to share one today to remind us why this legislation is so necessary.

A constituent of mine, Dana from Kenmore, Washington, has lived with type 1 diabetes for nearly 14 years. When Dana was first diagnosed, insulin cost her $50 each month. Today that same insulin costs over $600 per month. That is an 1,100 percent increase for the exact same product.

We talked about innovation, but there have been virtually no changes to insulin since Dana's diagnosis, so the price spike is inexplicable.

Dana is not only a diabetes patient, but she is also a nurse practitioner and a diabetes educator. And she has told me about her patients that go to Canada where they can get insulin for just $40 a month. She has also shared stories of her own patients who can't afford their medications, who ration their insulin, which we know can lead to poorer health, vision loss, kidney failure, and even death.

H.R. 3 will finally give the Health and Human Services secretary the power to negotiate a fair price for insulin, which will dramatically help patients like Dana and all the patients that she serves.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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