House passes bill to lower prescription drug costs

[tulc]

House passes bill to lower prescription drug costs

Sharpening their 2020 election message, House Democrats on Thursday pushed through legislation that would empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and offer new benefits for seniors. The vote comes as the House Judiciary Committee considers articles of impeachment against the president.

The vote along party lines was 230 to 192. Two Republicans supported the bill.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi's bill would cap Medicare recipients' out-of-pocket costs for medicines at $2,000 a year. It would use about $360 billion of its projected 10-year savings from lower drug costs to establish Medicare coverage for dental care, hearing, and vision, filling major gaps for seniors.

But the legislation has no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate, and the White House has issued a veto threat. Still, Democrats saw a victory in the message their bill sends to voters.

tulc(thought this was interesting)

 

[miamited]

Hi tulc,

It just seems beyond belief that while the leader of the Republican party campaigned on giving us a 'new and better' healthcare, not only are the Republicans not able to do that, but based on the vote tally on this issue, aren't really interested in helping to bring medical costs down period!

For me, it just shows whose pockets most Republican lawmakers are in. Not yours and mine, but in big pharma.

Although, after more careful retrospect, it could also be the place that this deeply partisan politics has left us. No matter how good something might be for the people, if the other party is for it...we're against it.

God bless,
In Christ, ted

 

[JackRT]

Here in Canada the newly elected Trudeau government is moving forward on a pharmacare program. This should bring down drug costs substantially.