Huddle Recap - Healthcare
As part of my journey to represent you, I have been listening to your views about important issues like Healthcare and the actions you'd like to see Congress take. With thousands of bills introduced during each session of Congress, it can be difficult to identify and keep track of key legislation. I'd like to help you stay up to date by highlighting bills that address the issues that matter most to voters in the 5th District.
At our healthcare-themed huddles in September, one of the main topics of discussion was the cost of prescription drugs. I'd like to draw your attention to a bill that was recently introduced in the House to address this issue:
H.R. 3: Lower Drug Cost Now Act of 2019
How does it work?
Ends the ban on Medicare negotiating directly with the drug companies and creates powerful new tools to force drug companies to the table to agree to real price reductions. while ensuring seniors never lose access to the prescriptions they need.
Makes the lower drug prices negotiated by Medicare available to all Americans, including those with private insurance, not just Medicare beneficiaries.
Stops drug companies from charging Americans more while charging other countries less for the same drugs, limiting the maximum price for any negotiated drug to the average price in countries like ours, where drug companies charge less for the same drugs - and admit they still make a profit.
Creates a new, $2,000 out of pocket limit on prescription drug cost for Medicare beneficiaries, and reverses years of unfair price hkes above inflation across more than 8,000 drugs in Medicare.
Reinvest in innovation and the search for new cures and treatments , using some of the savings from lowering the unjustified drug prices that are bankrolling Big Pharma's stock-buybacks to reinvest billions of dollars in the search for new breakthrough treatments and cures at NIH.
To read more about H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Cost Now Act, click here