CSRXP: THE HOUSE HAS ACTED, TIME FOR SENATE TO DO ITS JOB

Passage of HR3 Adds to Momentum to Hold Big Pharma Accountable; Now Congress Must Move Swiftly to Get Bipartisan Reforms Passed into Law

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) commended lawmakers in the U.S. House for passing market-based reforms included in the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (HR3) Thursday and urged the U.S. Senate to act to do the same.

“The House has taken an important first step toward holding Big Pharma accountable and delivering much needed relief for American patients, seniors and taxpayers,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “HR3 reflects several key reforms that have also won bipartisan support in the Senate, including measures to reform the Medicare Part D program by giving Big Pharma more skin in the game, capping out-of-pocket costs and keeping price hikes below the rate of inflation.”

Following the House passage of HR3, CSRxP released a digital ad titled “Job” urging the Senate to bring to the floor and pass The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 (S2543). The spot, that will air in Washington, D.C. and in 2020 Senate battleground states, notes “the House has acted to lower prescription drug prices, it’s time for the Senate to do its job.” See the full ad HERE.

Both HR3 and S2543, which was advanced with bipartisan support out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance in July, contain a number of important market-based measures to hold Big Pharma accountable and lower drug prices:

• Provides Immediate Savings for Seniors: Caps out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.
• Disincentivizes Price-Gouging: Reforms Medicare Part D to give Big Pharma significant liability in the catastrophic phase.
• Protects Patients & Taxpayers: Keeps the growth of prescription drug prices in line with inflation.
• Boosts Transparency: Shines a greater light on Big Pharma’s opaque pricing practices.
• Supports Competition: Offers policies to increase the utilization of biosimilars.

• 70 Percent: On average across the five states, more than 70 percent of survey respondents lay blame for “the rising price of prescription drugs” at the feet of pharmaceutical companies.
• 90 to 2 Percent: By a whopping 90 to 2 percent margin, voters agreed that if the House passed legislation that includes measures also contained in the Grassley-Wyden package — that the Senate must follow suit. That includes 92.2 percent of Democrats and 94.2 percent of Republicans who support Senate action on these reforms.
• 61-Points: By a nearly 61-point margin, battleground state voters believe Congress should pass bipartisan drug pricing reforms before the end of the year.