
New Dems Urge House Leadership to Move Bipartisan Drug Pricing Bills

WASHINGTON – Members of the New Democrat Coalition’s Healthcare Task Force asked the House leadership on Wednesday to hold a floor vote on drug pricing bills with bipartisan support as early as next week.
The request was made in a letter sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, and Assistant Leader Ben Ray Luján.
In it, Representatives Angie Craig, of Minnesota, Kurt Schrader, of Oregon, Kim Schrier, of Washington, and Greg Stanton, of Arizona, say while they support efforts to stabilize and expand on the Affordable Care Act, their constituents are demanding action be taken soon to curb the rising costs of prescription drugs.
The task force members ask the House leaders to consider bringing the bipartisan drug pricing bills included in H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, to the floor in a standalone package for a vote next week when other healthcare measures are expected to be considered.
“Each of the drug pricing bills in H.R. 987 had bipartisan support when introduced, as well as through the Committee process,” the representatives say.
“While we were optimistic our Republican colleagues would support commonsense fixes to strengthen the ACA, this comprehensive package was passed out of the House with only Democratic support,” they continue. “Consequently, our colleagues in the Senate have yet to vote on these noncontroversial drug pricing measures and send them to the President for enactment.”
The representatives note that at least three bills in the package would have an immediate moderating effect on prescription drug prices.
These include H.R. 965, the CREATES Act, introduced by Representative David Cicilline, of Rhode Island; H.R. 938, the BLOCKING Act, introduced by Representative Kurt Schrader, of Oregon; and H.R. 1499, the Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act, introduced by Representative Bobby Rush, of Illinois.
The New Democrat Coalition members closed by reminding the House leaders and their colleagues across the aisle that “the rising cost of prescription drugs remains of paramount concern to all members, irrespective of political affiliation.
“There are families in every single congressional district struggling to pay for their prescription drugs. As such, this challenge calls for a unified approach. Respectfully, we urge leadership to bring these bipartisan measures to the floor and, in doing so, reiterate our commitment to tackling the rising cost of prescription drugs in a bipartisan manner before the August recess,” the members say.
In The News
Health
Voting
Health
CHICAGO (AP) — Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the... Read More
CHICAGO (AP) — Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the most influential group in the anti-abortion movement, is telling each potential GOP presidential hopeful that to win its... Read More
HONOLULU — Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, is continuing to press law enforcement and other officials to stem the rising tide... Read More
HONOLULU — Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, is continuing to press law enforcement and other officials to stem the rising tide of gender-based violence and sex-trafficking involving Native Hawaiian women and girls. Recently she traveled back to the big island from Washington for discussion on the issue... Read More
WASHINGTON — An experimental vaccine against Marburg virus, a member of the Ebola virus family that causes death in a... Read More
WASHINGTON — An experimental vaccine against Marburg virus, a member of the Ebola virus family that causes death in a large proportion of infected individuals, proved safe and induced an immune response in a small, first-in-human clinical trial. The findings of the researchers at the National... Read More
WASHINGTON — The federal government will begin auditing Medicare Advantage insurers under a new rule finalized Monday, the heightened scrutiny... Read More
WASHINGTON — The federal government will begin auditing Medicare Advantage insurers under a new rule finalized Monday, the heightened scrutiny expected to return as much as $4.7 billion to Medicare’s trust fund over the next 10 years. Watchdog groups had long complained about questionable charges to... Read More
WASHINGTON — Women whose employers opted out of covering contraceptives under their health insurance plans on religious grounds could regain... Read More
WASHINGTON — Women whose employers opted out of covering contraceptives under their health insurance plans on religious grounds could regain no-cost access to birth control under new rules proposed by the Biden administration. If implemented, the rules, which were announced under the auspices of the Departments... Read More
WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that President Biden will end dual national emergencies declared to deal with the... Read More
WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that President Biden will end dual national emergencies declared to deal with the COVID-19 public health crisis in May, nearly three years after they were first declared. The announcement came 24 hours before the Republican-controlled House was to vote... Read More