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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Friday, January 12, 2007
CONTACT: Yoni Cohen, (202) 225-3202
STARK: REQUIRING MEDICARE TO NEGOTIATE FOR LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES IS A VICTORY FOR SENIORS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
WASHINGTON – Representative Pete Stark (D-CA), the recently announced Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, today released the following statement on H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, which passed on the floor with bipartisan support by a vote of 255-170:
"Today, the people's House made progress on the people's business," said Stark. "Working hand in hand with drug company lobbyists when they wrote the drug law, Republicans prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from negotiating for cheaper prescription drugs. As a result, seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare's private plans are paying more than they should for necessary drugs."
"The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate a better deal, much as former Secretary Tommy Thompson negotiated deep discounts for Cipro in President Bush’s first term. Today's bipartisan legislation is a victory for seniors and people with disabilities. I urge President Bush to reconsider his veto threat and help Medicare beneficiaries who are getting a raw deal rather than side with drug companies who are making billions," Stark concluded.
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