Grassroots organization opposes prescription drug price legislation

[April 27, 2021]  By Kevin Bessler

(The Center Square) – Illinois lawmakers have drafted legislation to combat the high price of prescription drugs, and now U.S. House Democrats are doing the same on the federal level.

The legislation, known as H.R. 3, would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prices.

The drug pricing provisions could also be included in the American Families Plan that President Joe Biden is expected to unveil next week, a large package also including child care, paid leave and other proposals.

Geoff Holtzman, spokesman for Americans for Prosperity, said the plan is deeply flawed and would cause more harm than good.

“We all share the goal of making drug prices more affordable,” Holtzman said. “That is a priority, but we can’t do that at the expense of making drugs less accessible, because at the end of the day, what good is affordability if you can’t get the drug in the first place.”

The organization believes a smarter approach would be to give Americans a personal option for prescription drugs that creates a greater supply of available medicines. It could be done by streamlining the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s drug approval process so that new drugs are approved as quickly as the COVID-19 vaccines were approved.

Holtzman said the government should also remove barriers that block access to generic versions of drugs, and allow for more legal drug importation from other countries.

The drug pricing measure is also fiercely opposed by the pharmaceutical industry, which argues it would harm innovation that leads to the development of new drugs.

While drug prices remain a hot-button issue, others are pushing for changes to Medicaid and Medicare. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has joined Democrats in a letter to the president urging him to expand and improve the programs.

The Illinois legislature is expected to take up proposals to address the cost of prescription drugs. State Sen. Scott Bennett says high drug prices force some patients to make difficult choices.

“Rising prescription drug prices lead people with the impossible choice, between filling their life-saving prescriptions or paying their rent, buying food, and affording other critical essentials,” Bennett said.