Laura Packard
1,000 signatures reached
To: Congress and President Biden
Lower prescription drug prices now!
Drug prices in the U.S. are more than 2.5 times higher than other countries. Drug prices are so high, in fact, that many people actually have to skip filling their necessary medications as they have become unaffordable.
These soaring prices are driven by greedy drug companies. The House Oversight Committee previously found Big Pharma lies about their pricing -- costs have little to do with research and development or industry efforts to help people afford medication, as drug companies often claim. And as we struggled amid a global pandemic, Big Pharma raked it in, accumulating massive profits.
This is a monopoly and a health crisis -- Congress must step in to regulate these outrageous costs and reduce drug prices and so far the Build Back Better plan includes a provision to lower the cost of prescription drugs through Medicare negotiation.
Why is this important?
President Biden has vowed to lower prescription drug prices. And now, Congressional Democrats are focusing on HR 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, a measure that will allow the federal government to directly negotiate lower drug prices. This bill previously passed the House but stalled in the McConnell graveyard-of-a-Senate.
But now we have a chance to pass this legislation with or without Republicans, and we must demand Congressional Democrats do just that. Democrats can and must attach this bill to the infrastructure and jobs package. This legislation will then have the chance to be passed via reconciliation and provide the relief from soaring drug prices we need while avoiding Republican roadblocks.
We must demand Congress include HR 3 in the Build Back Better budget reconciliation package to ensure we have a fighting chance at lowering drug prices that have become unaffordable for millions of Americans!
3 Democrats, Scott Peters (CA), Kurt Schrader (WA) and Kathleen Rice (NY) voted against this provision in committee, and some Senators have indicated they don't support it. They need to hear from us NOW!
Sign the petition: Congress include HR 3 in the infrastructure package and address soaring, unaffordable drug prices in the U.S.