Statement: Congress Must Seize on Opportunity To Enact Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
WASHINGTON, D.C – President Joe Biden is expected to give a speech today calling on Congress to pass legislation to reduce high drug prices, including giving Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines program, issued the following statement:
“It is outrageous that our government still lacks the basic ability even to negotiate reasonable medicine prices with pharmaceutical monopolists. Congress must give the government the broadest possible negotiation power, applying to all drugs, and with negotiated prices available to all payers.
“Tougher action on prescription drug prices will create the federal savings needed to expand health care for all. This is an opportunity that Congress literally cannot afford to miss.”