May 16, 2019
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare’s millions of members and supporters, I urge you to vote for the “Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act” (H.R. 987). We support this important bill because it would reduce drug costs for Americans including seniors and would stabilize the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, which offer health insurance to millions of Americans.
This bill would:
- Restore funding for outreach to underserved communities to facilitate enrollment in plans offered through ACA marketplaces.
- Reverse the Administration’s expansion of junk plans that can discriminate on a host of factors including pre-existing conditions.
- Provide $100 million in funding to the navigator program that provides essential assistance to consumers in choosing health insurance plans.
This bill also includes many provisions aimed at limiting gaming that delays access to generic competition, driving up the price of drugs. In particular, we applaud two provisions the National Committee has long supported:
- Banning pay-for-delay deals where brand manufacturers compensate generic manufacturers to delay entry of generic competition.
- Providing generic companies with recourse when brand manufacturers take advantage of safety protocols to limit access to drug samples necessary to bring a drug to market.
All Americans should have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Nobody should have to choose between paying their bills for basic costs of living and taking their medication. The National Committee therefore urges you to vote yes on H.R. 987.
Sincerely,
Max Richtman
President and CEO