Big Pharma is fleecing us all.
I spent August doing my favorite part of my job: traveling the state and listening to Oregonians. And once again, I was awed by Oregon's natural beauty, the kindness and wisdom of our people, and the sense of community we share – The Oregon Way.
This year our conversations focused on drug pricing, and everyone I talked to – seniors, students, farmers, pharmacists, everyone – agreed on two things:
- Big Pharma is ripping off seniors and taxpayers.
- We have to pass legislation to lower prescription prices.
That's why, now that Congress is back in session, Senators from both sides of the aisle are pushing Mitch McConnell to bring my prescription drug prices bill to the floor.
My bill will not only rein in Big Pharma profiteering, by penalizing price gouging, but will provide relief to working people struggling to afford essential medication. In fact, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that seniors will save more than $25 billion.
(Plus, it'll save taxpayers money, too – cutting Medicare and Medicaid costs by more than $100 billion!)
The unfortunate truth is that Big Pharma lobbyists have been able to rig the system so ridiculously in their favor that, simply by requiring them to treat people fairly, we'll save billions.
We're not out of the woods yet: McConnell has never met a corporate giveaway he didn't like. I'm sure he'll do whatever he can to keep pharmaceutical executives rolling in massive profits. He'll fight us every step of the way, and with whatever dirty tricks he can get away with.
But I'm ready for that fight, and I'm not backing down an inch.
More soon,
Ron
