Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, voted to pass H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019. As statement from Thompson on the vote is below.
“Everyone knows that the cost of prescription drugs in our nation is too high, in fact, in some cases Americans pay three or four times more than what they charge for the same drug in another country. This is unacceptable. That’s why today I voted to pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, a landmark bill I cosponsored and helped craft.
“This bill would establish a negotiation program to help lower the costs of high-priced medications and hold drug companies that won’t negotiate accountable. The legislation also caps out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries at $2,000, lowering costs for the more than 109,000 people on the program in our district alone. Finally, this measure reinvests the savings generated into Medicare, so that beneficiaries can get health coverage for dental, vision and hearing. This would be the first time in the history of Medicare to have those benefits included. I am proud to have fought to pass this legislation through committee and on the floor and will continue working to ensure it becomes law.”