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State Dems Urge Congress To Pass Bill To Lower Drug Prices

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — There’s a bill in Congress Democrats say would help lower the price of prescription drugs. Some state representatives here are pushing to get it passed.

John Kennedy shows his vial of insulin to reporters on Zoom call
John Kennedy shows his vial of insulin to reporters on Zoom call. [Statehouse News Bureau]
In 2019, the Democrat-led Congress passed a bill to give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices. It went nowhere.

But John Kennedy, who advocates on behalf of fellow diabetics, said it must be done. He notes the vial of insulin he would have paid $25 for two decades ago is now ten times that much.

“It would cost me between $250 and $350. That’s outrageous.”

Kennedy said people often ration drugs to make them last longer, putting their health at risk in the process.

Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) said Ohio can do some things to lower drug prices but says it is up to Congress to do the heavy lifting. But Republicans in Congress say the caps imposed by the bill amount to government intrusion in the free market.