AARP CEO Bill Novelli released the following statement today after the U.S. Senate Finance Committee passed a bill to give Medicare the power to bargain for lower drug prices (S. 3) with a bipartisan vote.
The bill is now headed to the Senate floor for a vote.
?We commend the Senate Finance Committee Members who stood with nearly 90 percent of voting-age Americans who support giving Medicare the power to bargain for lower drug prices.
?Older Americans are the largest consumers of prescription drugs, and many have been greatly helped under Part D. Allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices is common sense, and could lead to more affordable drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and lower costs for all taxpayers.
?AARP members have been calling and emailing their elected officials by the tens of thousands in recent weeks, and they want to know where their Senators stand on this important issue. We look forward to working with Senators from both sides of the aisle as this legislation moves forward.?
Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4, the ?Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007,? by a bipartisan vote of 255 to 170. AARP strongly supported H.R. 4 and is now putting its efforts behind similar legislation in the Senate.
AARP is recording House and Senate roll call votes on key issues, and informing its members about how their elected officials voted. A vote for allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices will be counted among AARP?s key votes.