With the support of every House Democrat, the House passed the “Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act” last night, with 183 Republicans voting in opposition. The bill takes on the big drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs and cracks down on the Trump administration’s junk insurance plans that discriminate against Americans with pre-existing conditions. Recent polling shows widespread, bipartisan support for these reforms that end Trump’s ongoing sabotage of America’s health care.
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NEW YORK TIMES – “The House on Thursday passed a suite of health care bills that tied shoring up the Affordable Care Act to lowering drug prices, as Democrats tried to hold Republicans to their campaign promises to secure coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and rein in the cost of prescription medicine.”
POLITICO – “The legislation includes three bipartisan drug pricing provisions restricting anti-competitive behaviors by pharmaceutical companies alongside a slate of proposals reversing Trump administration policies designed to undermine the Affordable Care Act.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS – “Democrats pushed legislation buttressing the 2010 health care law and curbing prescription drug prices through the House.”
WASHINGTON POST – “House Democrats pushed through legislation Thursday to lower prescription drug prices, strengthen the Affordable Care Act and — most significantly — position themselves as the party on the side of health-care consumers as the 2020 election approaches.”
THE HILL – “As part of the package, Democrats voted on three bills that would help remove barriers to generic drugs entering the market, and would crack down on tactics that lawmakers say pharmaceutical companies use to tamp down competition and keep prices high.”
CNN – “The House on Thursday passed a health care package that included several bipartisan bills to lower drug costs…but the legislation would also reverse President Donald Trump’s extension of short-term insurance plans, which don’t have to adhere to all of Obamacare’s rules, so they can reject people with preexisting conditions or charge them higher premiums.”
SHAREBLUE – “Republicans claim to be in favor of reducing prescription drug costs, but their vote against the measure shows they care more about siding with Trump’s efforts to sabotage the health care of millions of Americans.”
WASHINGTON TIMES – “The bill’s measures are designed to bring cheaper generic drugs to market faster, while killing Mr. Trump’s push to let people buy cheaper, bare-bones health-insurance plans instead of what Obamacare requires.”
WASHINGTON EXAMINER – “The bill’s drug provisions, which passed at the committee level with Republican support, aim to outlaw what lawmakers call unfair barriers that impede generic drug entry into the marketplace. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said the new measures would ‘prevent some manufacturers from manipulating the system to extend their monopolies at the expense of consumers.’”