| Dear Katy, It doesn't seem possible that Democrats want to maintain the high price of prescription drugs or help Big Pharma line its pockets. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to cut a deal with Trump to allow corporate-friendly, third-party arbitration panels to set pharmaceutical prices for sick Americans.1,2 Voters turned the House of Representatives over to Democrats who promised to tackle the sky-high prices of medicines. We have to make sure Speaker Pelosi stops negotiating with Trump on a weak, corporate-friendly proposal. Tell Speaker Pelosi: Don't work with Trump to reward Big Pharma. Stand with progressives to lower drug prices. Click here to sign the petition. Speaker Pelosi is being poorly advised. Her top health policy aide told health industry executives not to worry about Medicare for All. Another adviser is a lobbyist for pharmaceutical benefit managers who represents many of the same companies running attack ads opposing Medicare for All. This is not a team capable of producing policies that put the American people above corporate interests – which is why members of the House Progressive Caucus went public with their concerns.3,4 CREDO members have spoken out in force in support of truly progressive plans to break the power of Big Pharma monopolies and lower drug prices. Sen. Warren's plan would direct the government to manufacture generic drugs. Sens. Sanders and Merkley and Rep. Ro Khanna would force companies to follow international average prices or face tough consequences. Rep. Lloyd Doggett's bill would allow Medicare to negotiate discounts and let the government issue a license to a competitor to produce a generic version of the drug if Big Pharma refuses to negotiate in good faith.5,6 But behind closed doors, Pelosi is ignoring all of these plans. Instead, she is pushing a Trump-friendly proposal from corporate Democrats – Medicare and Big Pharma would each submit a proposed price to a third-party panel that would decide on a price. These corporate arbitration panels almost always produce decisions favoring wealthy and powerful international corporations.7,8 Pelosi's preferred plan would allow Big Pharma to maintain its bloodsucking grip on our medical system – and she needs to hear immediately how terrible this approach is. Tell Speaker Pelosi: Don't work with Trump to reward Big Pharma. Stand with progressives to lower drug prices. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/pelosi-pharma-arbitration?t=9&akid=32370%2E12967895%2ETDrxDc Thank you for speaking out. Heidi Hess, Co-Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Zach Carter and Daniel Marans, "Democrats Ran On Lowering Drug Prices. Now They Could Cut A Bad Deal With Donald Trump." HuffPost, April 19, 2019.
- David Dayen, "Nancy Pelosi's Drug-Pricing Talks with the Trump Administration Are About Mediating Fights Between Corporate Interests," The Intercept, April 22, 2019.
- Ibid.
- Carter and Marans, "Democrats Ran On Lowering Drug Prices. Now They Could Cut A Bad Deal With Donald Trump."
- Ibid.
- Dayen, "Nancy Pelosi's Drug-Pricing Talks with the Trump Administration Are About Mediating Fights Between Corporate Interests."
- Ibid.
- Carter and Marans, "Democrats Ran On Lowering Drug Prices. Now They Could Cut A Bad Deal With Donald Trump."
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