Page 11 - Full Magazine

Negotiation of

Prescription Prices

Dark Money Ad Campaign Seeks to
Prevent Medicare from Negotiating
Drug Prices

A dark money group, funded
largely by the pharmaceutical
industry, has launched a seven-figure
ad campaign against allowing
Medicare to directly negotiate drug
prices.
The $2.5 million in radio, digital
and mailed ads from the American
Action Network (AAN) calls on
Congress to reject what the group
says are “government price controls”
placed on Medicare Part D. The ads
are trying to prevent the House of
Representatives from passing
legislation allowing Medicare to
negotiate lower drug prices.
The ads will air in 35 House
Republican districts, according to The
Hill. “The Alliance has pushed for
Medication drug price negotiation for
nearly 20 years,” said Robert Roach,
Jr., President of the Alliance. “If we
are going to lower drug prices, we
must allow Medicare to negotiate on
behalf of seniors and the American
public. The Veterans Administration
and Medicaid do this now and save
millions of dollars.”
“It’s no surprise that the big drug
corporations are doing everything
they can to protect the status quo,”
added President Roach. “But it is past
time for Congress to stand up to them
and put patients over prescription
drug profits.”
The industry ads use scare tactics
and are making false claims that
Medicare negotiating prices would
lead to “reduced access to life-saving
medications and prescription drug
rationing.”
“Key liberals in Congress are
pushing a socialist agenda for
America and it starts with seniors
losing choice and access to the most
effective drugs in Medicare,” says a
voice in one radio ad. “Their plan
means prescription drug rationing,
government price-fixing and
bureaucrats controlling your access to
new treatments.”
President Trump called for
Medicare to negotiate drug prices
during his 2016 campaign but has
since backed away from that position
after meeting privately with drug
corporation CEOs.

Submitted by:
www.retiredamericans.org
The (ARA) Alliance for Retired
Americans is a national organization
that advocates for the rights and well-
being of over 4.4 million retirees and
their families.
November 2019 11