Jan 10 - Bernie Sanders, Elijah Cummings, Ro Khanna, to introduce bills on prescription drug costs

By MARYALICE PARKS Jan 9, 2019, 11:39 AM ET


Excerpt:

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, who says he is still considering a second presidential run in 2020, is teaming up with Democratic leaders in the House to put forward a series of bills that address one of the most talked about issues among voters: the rising cost of prescription drugs.

The tactic of introducing bills to outline an aspirational agenda is one the progressive senator mastered in the in the past with measures on health care, equitable wages and climate change.

Sanders will hold a press conference Thursday with Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to introduce three new bills aimed at bringing down the price of prescription drugs. The issue was central to Sanders’ first presidential bid in 2016, and Democratic leaders have often cited it as a top priority for the party this year, too.

According to a preview sent to ABC News from Sanders’ congressional staff, the new legislative package from Sanders and the group of House Democrats includes:

- The Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, which would “peg the price of prescription drugs in the United States to the median price in five major countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Japan;

- The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, to “direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D;” and

- The Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act, which to “allow Americans to import safe, low-cost medicine from Canada and other major countries.”