Doggett’s Medicare Negotiation Plan Frightens Big Pharma, Now Has More Than 100 Co-Sponsors
Oct. 3, 2018
NOTE TO REPORTERS
Doggett’s Medicare Negotiation Plan Frightens Big Pharma, Now Has More Than 100 Co-Sponsors
Legislation Has Most Co-Sponsors of Any Prescription Affordability Bill, Puts Patients’ Needs before Pharma Monopolies
Americans continue to pay more for prescriptions than people in any other country around the world. But U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and at least 100 of his colleagues, want to stop to Big Pharma’s unethical price gouging of American consumers.
In July 2018, Rep. Doggett introduced H.R. 6505, the “Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2018,” to harness Medicare’s purchasing power to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical corporations and authorize generic competition when negotiations fail. In a little more than two months, more than half of the members of the House Democratic Caucus have co-sponsored the proposal and more are expected to join.
Public Citizen supports efforts that leverage public negotiating power to rein in medicine prices, which have continued to climb sharply in recent years. Big Pharma, despite its promises and numerous tweets from President Donald Trump, has not seriously acted to deliver the relief needed by the millions of Americans who continue to risk their health by rationing their medicines.
For too long, Medicare has been handcuffed because the program cannot negotiate on behalf of Americans. Doggett’s legislation would authorize negotiation, ensure patient access and license generic competition when corporations refuse to be fair on making medicines affordable. To date, Doggett’s legislation has more co-sponsors than any other medication pricing bill in Congress.
Public Citizen’s experts are available to comment.
Read more about Doggett’s legislation here.
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