Washington, D.C. — This morning, U.S. Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) and AARP’s Nancy LeaMond joined Protect Our Care to discuss the ongoing efforts to ensure that Congress passes legislation to bring down prescription drug prices. Representative Wild recently led a letter alongside 40 House Democrats urging Congress to move quickly to pass drug pricing legislation. President Biden has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to bringing down drug prices to lower the cost of living for Americans.
“Lowering the costs of prescription drugs needs to be our number one priority in Congress,” said Representative Susan Wild (PA-07). “There is still a lot of work left to do to lower drug costs that have been too high for too long. Until Congress passes robust legislation to tackle these reforms, drug prices will continue to skyrocket, and millions of Americans will continue to make the impossible decision between putting food on the table for their families or purchasing their lifesaving medications.”
“For too many years, seniors have been forced to choose between the medicines they need and paying for other essentials like rent and food. They are sick and tired of waiting for Congress to act. Congress has promised for years to address the price of prescription drugs. Now is the time to get the job done,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer.
“At the end of this past year, I was at the point of possibly losing my COBRA insurance and having to figure out how I was going to be paying my medical bills,” said Sarah Opatovsky, patient storyteller from Bethlehem, PA. “We shouldn’t have a system where people rely on charity if they can’t afford their medical bills. The free market does not work when the consumer doesn’t have a real choice between taking medication or not. We have to tackle the issue of why these prices are being charged in the first place by pharmaceutical companies.”
“Addressing high drug prices is the single most important thing lawmakers can do to lower the cost of living for families,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Democrats, Republicans, and independents overwhelmingly support giving Medicare the power to negotiate, capping seniors’ out-of pocket costs, limiting insulin costs, and cracking down on outrageous price hikes. Support for ending big drug company greed has only grown, and we are confident that under the strong leadership of President Biden and health care champions like Rep. Wild, we will get all of these measures to lower drug prices over the finish line.”