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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., attend a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center with House and Senate Democrats on a report which they say shows that prescription drug prices have risen under President Trump on May 10, 2018. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 19 released the "Lower Drug Costs Now Act" (H.R. 3), which would institute a series of measures designed to address runaway prescription drug costs.
For people forced to struggle financially and medically as a result of the predatory behavior of Big Pharma, the legislation the speaker has offered starts a welcome conversation. For that conversation to end with the kind of bold transformations that patients must have in order to have affordable access to the medications they need, we believe there are some key perspectives that Congress should take into account.
The most important is that any solution to the drug pricing crisis should include a public option for pharmaceuticals. The speaker argues compellingly that drug prices that are multiple times the cost of production and sold in the U.S. for multiple times prices charged overseas are a sign of market failure. But another way to look at this is that it is the market doing what the market does best: maximize profits for a few at the expense of the many. Markets aren't designed to prioritize the public good over corporate greed; that is why we need a public alternative that is solely dedicated to the public's health priorities.
Here are some additional observations that we think should drive the legislative conversation:
here has never been more momentum or more public outrage on drug pricing and issues of corporate excess in the pharmaceutical sector. We have a real opportunity to do something transformative that can help ensure the health and wellbeing of Americans for decades to come. Do we really want to say that the "best we can do" as a country is to lower the inflated prices set by Big Pharma on some drugs so that we continue to pay more than the average that other high-income countries pay?
The public is demanding better, and a public option in pharmaceuticals is critical to delivering what they need for their healthcare.
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 19 released the "Lower Drug Costs Now Act" (H.R. 3), which would institute a series of measures designed to address runaway prescription drug costs.
For people forced to struggle financially and medically as a result of the predatory behavior of Big Pharma, the legislation the speaker has offered starts a welcome conversation. For that conversation to end with the kind of bold transformations that patients must have in order to have affordable access to the medications they need, we believe there are some key perspectives that Congress should take into account.
The most important is that any solution to the drug pricing crisis should include a public option for pharmaceuticals. The speaker argues compellingly that drug prices that are multiple times the cost of production and sold in the U.S. for multiple times prices charged overseas are a sign of market failure. But another way to look at this is that it is the market doing what the market does best: maximize profits for a few at the expense of the many. Markets aren't designed to prioritize the public good over corporate greed; that is why we need a public alternative that is solely dedicated to the public's health priorities.
Here are some additional observations that we think should drive the legislative conversation:
here has never been more momentum or more public outrage on drug pricing and issues of corporate excess in the pharmaceutical sector. We have a real opportunity to do something transformative that can help ensure the health and wellbeing of Americans for decades to come. Do we really want to say that the "best we can do" as a country is to lower the inflated prices set by Big Pharma on some drugs so that we continue to pay more than the average that other high-income countries pay?
The public is demanding better, and a public option in pharmaceuticals is critical to delivering what they need for their healthcare.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on September 19 released the "Lower Drug Costs Now Act" (H.R. 3), which would institute a series of measures designed to address runaway prescription drug costs.
For people forced to struggle financially and medically as a result of the predatory behavior of Big Pharma, the legislation the speaker has offered starts a welcome conversation. For that conversation to end with the kind of bold transformations that patients must have in order to have affordable access to the medications they need, we believe there are some key perspectives that Congress should take into account.
The most important is that any solution to the drug pricing crisis should include a public option for pharmaceuticals. The speaker argues compellingly that drug prices that are multiple times the cost of production and sold in the U.S. for multiple times prices charged overseas are a sign of market failure. But another way to look at this is that it is the market doing what the market does best: maximize profits for a few at the expense of the many. Markets aren't designed to prioritize the public good over corporate greed; that is why we need a public alternative that is solely dedicated to the public's health priorities.
Here are some additional observations that we think should drive the legislative conversation:
here has never been more momentum or more public outrage on drug pricing and issues of corporate excess in the pharmaceutical sector. We have a real opportunity to do something transformative that can help ensure the health and wellbeing of Americans for decades to come. Do we really want to say that the "best we can do" as a country is to lower the inflated prices set by Big Pharma on some drugs so that we continue to pay more than the average that other high-income countries pay?
The public is demanding better, and a public option in pharmaceuticals is critical to delivering what they need for their healthcare.