Senate Republicans Still “Doing Nothing” to Bring Down Rising Drug Costs, Creating “Political Liability for the Party in 2020”

GOP Senator Chuck Grassley Calls Out Vulnerable Incumbents’ Refusal to Rein in Prescription Drug Costs: “People Are Fed Up With Big Increases in Drug Prices… There’s 22 Republicans Up for Reelection and They Need an Answer to That.”

In case you missed it, a report from The Hill lays out how Republicans’ refusal to rein in the cost of prescription drugs “could be a political liability for the party in 2020.” Rising drug prices remain a “top issue” for voters across the political spectrum, yet vulnerable GOP incumbents like Senators Cory Gardner, Thom Tillis, and Joni Ernst — who last year raked in tens of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from the pharmaceutical industry — have all refused to join meaningful bipartisan efforts to bring down their constituents’ drug costs.

While House Democrats last year passed legislation to bring down drug costs, Mitch McConnell has already promised their bill is “dead on arrival” in the Senate. After drug companies announced a new round of price hikes just this month, McConnell and Senate Republicans are “blocking progress” on a bipartisan proposal to cap these reckless price increases — putting the demands of their donors ahead of their constituents’ health while “doing nothing on an issue of vast importance to voters.”

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The Hill: Drug price outrage threatens to be liability for GOP

By Jessie Hellmann

January 10, 2020

Key Points:

• The GOP’s reluctance to challenge rising prescription drug costs could be a political liability for the party in 2020. 

• Outrage over increasing prices has propelled the issue to the top of voters’ minds heading into the November elections, when Republicans hope to keep control of the Senate and retake the House. 

• But proposals that would limit what drug companies can charge for their products face opposition from Republicans, presenting an obstacle to congressional passage. 

• Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he won’t hold a vote on a House-passed bill supported by Democrats that would require the federal government to negotiate lower prices for some drugs covered by Medicare. 

• He is also reluctant to hold a vote on a separate bipartisan bill, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), that would limit the price increases drug companies typically make every year.

• But as Republicans fight to keep control of the Senate, doing nothing on an issue of vast importance to voters is also a gamble. 

• “I made it very clear, just strictly from a political standpoint, that every one of these senators is hearing the same thing I am in Iowa: People are fed up with big increases in drug prices,” said Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. 

• “And there’s 22 Republicans up for reelection and they need an answer to that.” 

• The majority leader wants to avoid forcing his members to vote on something that would divide the party, especially before a crucial election. Some Republicans who are locked in competitive races, like Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.), have not signed on to the bill. 

• The pharmaceutical industry, which opposes the legislation, argues capping price increases would hurt innovation and the development of new products. Many Republicans agree. 

• High drug prices are one of the top issues lawmakers hear about from their constituents. About 1 in 5 adults say they or someone in their household has been unable to afford their prescription drugs in the past year, according to a Gallup poll released in November. 

• “They are not happy with drug prices,” acknowledged Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is also up for reelection in November in a race that could become competitive, according to the Cook Political Report. 

• Asked if she supports Grassley’s bill, she replied: “I do have a couple of issues with the bill that I am trying to work through.” 

• Drug companies raised prices this month on hundreds of drugs by a median of 5 percent, according to health care research firm 3 Axis Advisors, driving more scrutiny and outrage from advocates and lawmakers. 

• While House Democrats passed a bill late last year that would let Medicare negotiate with drug companies for lower prices — something it is currently prohibited from doing — Republicans are in stringent opposition, including Grassley. McConnell has said the bill is “dead on arrival.” 

Read the full story here.

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