Congresswoman Beatty Pushes Senate to Pass Prescription Plans to Lower Drug Costs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Exactly twelve weeks since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, H.R. 3, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) is renewing her call for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) to allow the U.S. Senate to vote on once-in-a-generation legislation to address the skyrocketing increase in prescription drug prices.

"We have seen the dramatic increase in the price of prescriptions, especially insulin, EpiPens, and numerous other life-saving medications over the last decade. Up until now, under Republican Leadership, Congress did little more than lip-service to solve the problem—but that is no longer the case with the new Democratic House majority," Beatty said. "As a cosponsor of H.R. 3, and author of my own proposal to lower the cost of insulin, I urge Senator McConnell to quit stonewalling and listen to the will of the American people and vote on this bill." She continued, "The Lower Drug Costs Now Act will deliver real results to the people of Ohio's Third Congressional District, the middle-class, and all hardworking American families, as well as ensure that no American has to ration their medicine or go to other extremes to make ends meet."

Of note, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act includes a provision that closely mirrors a recently introduced bill by Beatty to tackle the rising cost of insulin, the End Price Gouging for Insulin Act, H.R. 5364. Specifically, Beatty's bill aims to lower the cost of insulin by setting its price to the average insulin price found in 11 other industrialized countries where consumers have historically paid much lower out-of-pocket costs. Similarly, H.R. 3 would set the maximum negotiated price for 250 drugs, including insulin, to the average prevailing prescription drug price in six of those countries.

"Right now, more than 1 in 10 Ohioans are living with diabetes, many using insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels," Beatty noted. "However, with the dramatic increase in the cost of insulin, countless people are forced to choose between paying for their prescription, keeping a roof over their head, or even putting food on the table." She added, "The Lower Drug Costs Now Act and my End Price Gouging for Insulin Act would correct this travesty by setting a more economically feasible price based on the prevailing cost of insulin internationally."

Nearly 1.2 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, another 30 million are living with Type 2, and another 84 more million are considered pre-diabetic. Even more alarming, communities of color are disproportionately affected, as Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations are more likely to be living with diabetes than White and Asian Americans and have poorer health outcomes like loss of vision, amputation, and kidney failure.

###