As a longtime friend of hard-working West Virginians, I believe all Americans deserve quality health care that is both affordable and accessible. While we are making great strides in improving access to health care here in southern West Virginia, when it comes to affordability, we still have a long way to go. After all, what good is a doctor's visit if a retired husband cannot afford cancer-fighting drugs for his wife or working parents cannot cover the cost of their child's diabetes medication?

Between January 2000 and the end of 2005, prices for brand-name prescription drugs increased by almost 40 percent. One in four Americans-70 million-does not have insurance that covers prescription drugs. Of these, about 75 percent-52 million-are not eligible for Medicare. And because of exclusions, deductibles, and co-payments, most Medicare beneficiaries receive drug benefits that are inadequate at best.

Sadly, more and more Americans are choosing to cut back on pills or skip doses, rather than pay the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.

In 2005, the state of Maryland took the initiative and passed a statewide discount prescription drug plan to try to combat this problem. Unfortunately, Maryland's plan was subsequently blocked by the Bush Administration with little explanation.

As President Kennedy once said, "Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." The government should not be timid when it comes to the health of its citizens. Fortune 500 companies, the Veterans Administration, and large pharmacy chains have used their bargaining clout to negotiate lower drug prices for years.

That is why I cosponsored the Voluntary State Discount Prescription Drug Plan Act of 2007-a commonsense way to provide reasonably priced prescription drugs to millions of Americans at the state level.

This bill would enable states to use their purchasing power to negotiate discounts with drug companies for low-wage workers, the uninsured, and seniors with limited or no prescription drug coverage. The plan would provide a 40% discount to those earning up to 300% above the federal poverty line, $10,210 for an individual or $20,650 for a family of four-at no cost to the federal government.

I believe states should never have to ask the federal government's permission to improve the access or affordability of their residents' health care. This legislation would empower states to lower prescription drug prices for millions of Americans and help stop drug corporations from emptying the pockets of seniors and hard-working families in West Virginia.

While hardly a cure-all, lowering prescription drug prices would certainly be a step in the right direction toward a quality health care system that is both affordable and accessible.