WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today pressed for action from President Obama to help bring down the soaring cost of prescription drugs for people in Ohio and across the country.

In a letter sent Tuesday morning, Brown joined U.S. Sens. Al Franken (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) to call for more support in the President’s 2017 budget proposal to help address prescription drug prices and cut health care costs. 

“Prescription drug prices are soaring in the United States, driving up costs in federal healthcare programs and households alike,” wrote the Senators. “As a result, patients are left with the unimaginable choice of foregoing life-saving care or depleting family savings. These patients deserve better.”

As the President lays out his funding priorities for 2017, Brown urged the him to allow the government to negotiate prices with drug manufactures, promote competition in the generic drug market, prevent price gouging, and outlaw “pay for delay,” which is a practice where brand drug companies pay generic drug companies to stay out of the market. 

In addition, the Senators called on the President to implement Medicare policies that will reimburse based on value instead of volume, meaning that drug companies will get paid for their performance in treating people. 

You can read a full copy of the Senators’ letter by clicking here.

Brown is a cosponsor of legislation to help rein in costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate the best prescription medication prices, lowering drug prices for seniors enrolled in Medicare prescription drug coverage. The Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act would help keep costs down for Americans enrolled in Medicare Part D by requiring the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate the best prescription medication prices for seniors.

Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies and bans Medicare from doing so. The bill would require the HHS Secretary to directly negotiate with drug companies for price discounts for the Medicare Prescription Drug Program, eliminating the “non-interference” clause that expressly bans Medicare from negotiating for the best possible prices even though the government can often negotiate bigger discounts than private insurance companies.

 

###