LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON MEDICARE DRUG PRICE NEGOTIATIONS

Brooklyn, NY – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services announced selection of the first ten medications for Medicare drug price negotiation:

For far too long, pharmaceutical companies have made record profits while everyday Americans struggle to afford life-saving medications. After decades of fighting Big Pharma and their extreme MAGA Republican allies, House Democrats and the Biden administration passed the Inflation Reduction Act last year to lower costs for everyday Americans.

Now, for the first time ever, Medicare has the power to negotiate prices with drug companies on behalf of seniors, driving down the cost of some of the most expensive medications Americans take to treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more. Americans and our seniors pay more for life-saving prescription drugs than every other developed nation, often 3 to 4 times as much. This is unacceptable, it’s unconscionable and it should be un-American.

While extreme MAGA Republicans continue to try to unwind this progress and raise health care costs for seniors, Democrats will always put the health, safety and well-being of everyday Americans over the special interests of the wealthy, well-off and well-connected. This is a historic milestone and we’re just getting started.