State Health Care Premium Reduction Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, the objective of this bill is to prop up the Affordable Care Act, so we want to pump money into Medicaid the program and then impose price controls on prescription drugs.
H.R. 1425 lifted the provision in Speaker Pelosi's drug bill, H.R. 3, that gives the Secretary of HHS the power to set Medicare drug price controls for pharmaceutical manufacturers and use it as a pay-for. The savings from this price-setting power is meant for the expansion of the Affordable Care Act.
Now, the facts are clear. Private investment in drug research and development fuels the innovation ecosystem for the new medicines. It is just that simple.
Madam Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office has already determined that H.R. 3's negotiation provision would result in fewer cures. You have to be especially tone deaf to introduce legislation that punishes the very pharmaceutical companies that are going to innovate and mass- produce the vaccine the entire world is counting on to counter the spread of COVID-19.
Last year, we were 80 percent of the way there on a bipartisan measure before we got sidelined by H.R. 3 and legislation just like this. Let's get back to the people's work and work together on solutions that make sense, like H.R. 19, drug legislation that would actually make it to the President's desk.
Now, with all that in mind, let's talk about who it is that we are really talking for today, who it is that we represent on the people's floor, and who it is that we are looking out for because too often this becomes about November 3, 2020, and not about everyday lives back in the Districts and the folks whom we represent.
I want to read a letter that I have read before because I think it really deserves to be repeated. This was sent to me in October of 2019.
``Dear Congressman Kelly: My name is Sara Stewart, and I'm from St. Petersburg, Pennsylvania. It is my understanding that the House Ways and Means Committee is having a public hearing on H.R. 3--the Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019.''
This is the very H.R. 3, by the way, that is being included in H.R. 1425.
``It appears this legislation does not have bipartisan support and needs to take a more balanced approach. The balance is needed for patients like my 10-year-old daughter Maddie.
``Maddie suffers from a rare mitochondrial deletion condition called Pearson's syndrome, which is a disorder that occurs as the result of mutated genes in the body. These genes impact the mitochondria of her cells and prevent them from producing enough energy for the body to function properly. Pearson's syndrome is difficult to diagnose because it affects each individual differently. Maddie's symptoms through the years have included being blood transfusion dependent for several years, the inability to heal after sun exposure damage, becoming type 1 diabetic, progressively losing her hearing and her vision, kidney failure, and several other daily complications including developmental delays when having a body that runs on limited energy. It has been truly heartbreaking to see her endure this disease, but she continues to defy the odds.''
This child is a 10-year-old.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. ``My simple message to you, Mr. Kelly, and the rest of the committee''--and the rest of Congress--``is: There is no cure or treatments for Pearson's syndrome. Each day is a struggle to keep Maddie balanced so her body is able to better cope with symptoms of this terrible disorder. All we have, as well as many other families across the world, is hope. Please, don't let partisan bickering impact the ability of researchers to discover and innovate new therapies that could save Maddie's life one day. The clock is ticking, and Maddie is waiting.''
Madam Speaker, it simply comes down to this: if you want to develop new drugs, then don't penalize the people who develop them. Don't hold them as the bad guys when we require them. Please come up with something to address COVID-19.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source