Rep. Sylvia Garcia Fulfills Promise for the People of Houston, Votes to Pass the Lower Drug Costs Now Act

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) voted to pass H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, bold, transformative legislation to strengthen the health and financial security of America's seniors and families by finally stopping Americans from having to pay more for their medicines than what Big Pharma charges for the same drugs in other countries.

"For hard-working Americans in Texas and across the country, the exorbitant costs of prescription drugs remain a real crisis that threatens their health and financial security," Rep. Sylvia Garcia. "While Big Pharma pads its profits with drug prices in the United States that are three, four, or even ten times higher than what they charge for the same drugs in other countries, too many American seniors and families are being forced to make an unthinkable choice between life and death. No one in America should have to decide between buying life-saving prescription drugs and making ends meet or putting food on the table. This is why Democrats worked hard to pass H.R. 3, which will make a real difference in the lives of countless people who depend on prescription drugs to live healthy and productive lives."

The Lower Drug Costs Now Act finally levels the playing field for American patients and taxpayers:

• Gives Medicare the power to negotiate directly with the drug companies and creates powerful new tools to force drug companies to the table to agree to real price reductions, while ensuring seniors never lose access to the prescriptions they need.

• Makes the lower drug prices negotiated by Medicare available to Americans with private insurance, not just Medicare beneficiaries.

• Stops drug companies ripping off Americans while charging other countries less for the same drugs, limiting the maximum price for any negotiated drug to be in line with the average price in countries like ours, where drug companies charge less for the same drugs – and admit they still make a profit.

• Creates a new, $2,000 out-of-pocket limit on prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, and reverses years of unfair price hikes above inflation across thousands of drugs in Medicare.

• Reinvests the hundreds of billions of dollars in savings in the most transformational improvement to Medicare since its creation – delivering vision, dental and hearing benefits – and turbocharging the search for new cures.

In the Texas 29^th Congressional District, there are 57, 374 seniors enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan and the 290, 319 individuals enrolled in private health insurance who would benefit from the substantial savings associated with H.R. 3.

H.R. 3 will reduce drug costs for millions of Americans in TX-29 and across the state of Texas:

• Breast Cancer: Texas patients could save up to $69,000 off the average total cost of the breast cancer medication Ibrance per year;

• Leukemia: Texas patients could save up to $93,000 off the average total cost of the leukemia medication Tasigna per year;

• Prostate Cancer: Texas patients could save up to 109,500 off the average total cost of the prostate cancer medication Zytiga per year;

• Arthritis: Texas patients could save up to $40,000 off their total costs on most arthritis drugs per year;

• Asthma: Texas patients could save up to $1,400 off their total costs on most Asthma drugs per year;

• HIV/AIDS: Texas patients could save up to$15,000 off their total costs on most HIV/AIDS drugs per year;

• Multiple Sclerosis: Texas patients could save up to $40,000 off their total costs on most MS drugs per year;

• Diabetes: Texas patients could save up to $19,800 off the average total cost of the insulin NovoLOG Flexpen per year.

Additionally, H.R. 3's expansion of Medicare coverage for dental, vision and hearing services represents a significant out-of-pocket savings for Texas seniors, with:

• About 66,500 Medicare beneficiaries in TX-29 estimated to gain dental benefits;

• About 47,100 Medicare beneficiaries in TX-29 estimated to obtain vision benefits;

• About 51,500 Medicare beneficiaries in TX-29 estimated to secure hearing benefits.

"On behalf of the people of the Texas 29^th Congressional District and the great state of Texas, I am proud to have joined my colleagues to pass the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act," said Rep. Garcia. "This bill will deliver significant savings for patients, employers, and taxpayers. It will also make critical investments in both the largest expansion of Medicare benefits since Medicare's creation, as well as an expansion of lifesaving research for the groundbreaking cures of the future. Now we will push the Senate to act swiftly so that the President can sign this bill into law for the good of Americans all over the country."

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent Texas 29th Congressional district.