DeLauro, Lembo Call for Congressional Action to Address Rising Prescription Drug Costs
New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro, CT-3 was joined by Connecticut State Comptroller at a press conference held today at Tower One/Tower East senior living community where they called for a congressional oversight hearing to fully investigate the causes and impact of high prescription drug prices.
On October 27th, DeLauro joined her colleagues in sending a written request (insert link) to Representative Tom Cole, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies which oversees the funding for federal health programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) requesting a hearing be held on the issue of rising prescription drug costs.
“Now is the time for Congress to take action.” said DeLauro. “That is why I joined several of my colleagues in forming the Affordable Drug Pricing Task Force. Outrageous price hikes are putting life-saving drugs beyond the reach of those who need it most.” DeLauro continued “Pharmaceutical companies are earning record profits, while patients and taxpayers face higher and higher costs. These companies grow their businesses with the benefit of taxpayer-sponsored research. Then they turn around and gouge those same taxpayers, without whom the drug may not even exist. We must get prescription drug prices under control. ”
A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found that 90.8% of Americans now have health insurance. However, a recent survey by Consumer Reports found that Americans are paying increasingly more for prescription drugs. Survey results indicated that one-third of Americans are paying an average of $39 more out of pocket for their regular prescription medications, and 10% are paying as much as an extra $100. Medications for asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes are among those that saw the largest increases. A recent Kaiser Health poll showed that 77 percent of Americans view high cost prescription drugs as a top health priority for Congress.
Comptroller Kevin Lembo said, “These drugs -- lifesaving, life-changing medications – are not yachts, private jets and other material icons of wealth reserved only for the privileged few. I want to thank Congresswoman DeLauro for making this issue a priority, because the pharmaceutical marketplace is broken. It demands investigation and swift action to reverse alarming cost trends. Skyrocketing drugs – controlled and sold as luxury items -- now threaten to obstruct patient care and overcome health care budgets across the public and private sectors. We applaud and embrace the profit motive in our free-market society – as it drives innovation. However, excessive profits – completely unbridled in an uncompetitive marketplace – demand a prompt and thoughtful solution.”
DeLauro is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Service, Education and Related Agencies. Lembo administers health benefits on behalf of more than 200,000 state and municipal employees, retirees and their dependents.
###