House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) today released a plan to allow government negotiation of prescription drugs that account for the greatest total cost to Medicare and the entire U.S. health system and that lack competition. The following is a statement from Shelley Lyford, president and CEO of the Gary and Mary West Health Institute:
“We commend Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats for introducing long-overdue legislation that takes a meaningful step to ensure Americans, like citizens of other developed countries, have affordable access to life-saving medicines. Prioritizing Medicare negotiation for drug prices as the foundation to lower prescription drug costs simply makes sense. We are witnessing a defining moment in the future of U.S. healthcare. It’s time we demand bipartisan action on smart policies that can truly lower costs, and Speaker Pelosi’s plan to allow Medicare negotiation is a great start.”
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations including the Gary and Mary West Foundation and Gary and Mary West Health Institute in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. West Health is dedicated to lowering healthcare costs to enable seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. Learn more at westhealth.org and healthcostcrisis.org, and follow @westhealth.
