State Health Care Premium Reduction Act
Floor Speech
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Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act.
The high price of prescription drugs is one of the top issues I hear about from my constituents. In 2019, I received nearly four times as many comments about prescription drug costs as the year before. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, addressing the issue of drug pricing is more urgent than ever.
The patient stories are numerous and never-ending. I would like to share just one with my colleagues and the American people to remind us why this legislation is so necessary.
A constituent of mine, Dana, from Kenmore, Washington, has lived with type 1 diabetes for 14 years. When Dana was first diagnosed with diabetes, 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, and there have been virtually no changes to insulin since Dana's diagnosis, so the price spike is inexplicable.
Madam Speaker, Dana is not only a diabetes patient but also a nurse practitioner and diabetes educator. She has told me about her patients who go to Canada, where they can get insulin for just $40 a month. But with the border closed because of the pandemic, for many, that option is shut off to them.
Dana has also shared stories of her own patients who can't afford their medications and ration their insulin, which we know can lead to poor health, vision loss, kidney failure, and even death.
Madam Speaker, I strongly support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, which will strengthen and improve upon the ACA and 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 Dana serves in my district.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
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