Statement from Margarida Jorge, campaign director for Lower Drug Prices Now, on the news that the American Families Plan might not include prescription drug pricing legislation:
We urge the Biden Administration to fulfill a campaign promise by including legislation to lower prescription prices in the American Family Plan. Lowering the cost of prescription drugs continues to be a leading issue for Americans in poll after poll, particularly in Black and Brown communities and for seniors across the country. Given the economic and health aftermath of COVID, the demand for affordable prescription drugs will only grow over the coming years. Omitting drug pricing reform from a Build Back Better package makes neither policy nor political sense.
Politicians across the political spectrum have promised again and again to lower drug prices. Now, Americans are counting on President Biden and Congress to deliver. The Biden Administration should seize this opportunity to show the millions of people who are struggling to afford everything from insulin to cancer medication which side the President is on when it comes to ensuring that everyone can afford medicines they need to stay healthy and take care of their families.
The Lower Drug Costs Now Act, re-introduced earlier today by House Democrats, is a great first step toward holding pharmaceutical corporations accountable and ensuring that more medicines will be affordable and accessible to those who need them. We encourage President Biden to include this critically important legislation in the American Family Plan before rolling it out, for the benefit of all of America’s families.