Every year prescription drug costs climb higher, and it's reached crisis levels. I have been in drug store lines and watched seniors leave medicine behind because the co-pay was too high to take a full prescription home.

This cannot continue - which is why I have cosponsored H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act. Drug companies currently charge Americans three to ten times higher than what they charge for the same drugs in other countries. This bill will help fix that.

The Lower Drug Costs Now Act:

• Gives Medicare the authority to negotiate directly with the drug companies, and ensures companies reduce the price of drugs, while still guaranteeing patients never lose access to the prescriptions they need.

• Makes these new affordable prices available to ALL Americans, including Americans with private insurance, not just Medicare recipients.

• Creates a $2,000 out-of-pocket limit on prescription drugs for medicare beneficiaries.

• Reinvests in innovation, by using savings from lowered drug prices to invest in research for new cures and treatments. 

I will continue to improve upon the Lower Drug Costs Now Act because I believe that Americans deserve lower health care costs, and we can make this happen by lowering the price of prescription drugs.

I have heard your concerns about the costs of prescription drugs. With the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, everyone will pay less for their prescriptions.

Lowering drug costs is just one of the ways I'm working for you in Washington:

• We successfully pushed back on the G-7 summit from being held at Trump's Resort in Doral, an egregious act of self-dealing by the President and a blatant violation of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause.
  

• Democrats passed the SHIELD Act to protect our elections from foreign interference.

Finally, I pass along a sad note: my dear friend Chairman Elijah Cummings passed away last week. He was a deeply respected colleague, mentor, and passionate public servant. He was a powerful advocate for justice and oversight, and he will be sorely missed.

Watch here as I discuss my friendship with Chairman Cummings and his impact on those in his life.

Sincerely,


Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of Congress