Lauren Underwood & Sean Casten Use Democrat Talking Points Prior to Floor Vote

Possibly as soon as tomorrow, the full House will vote on prescription drug pricing plans, be it H.R. 3, now renamed as the “Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act” and H.R. 19, “To provide for certain reforms with respect to the Medicare program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act, the Medicaid program under title XIX of such Act, the Food and Drug Administration, and for other purposes.”

H.R. 19 is the detailed Republican alternative written about in this article from Sunday. The Republican legislation is touted as the real bipartisan bill that has realistic chance of becoming law and has 111 cosponsors after its introduction yesterday.

Here Congressman Greg Walden (R, OR) introducing H.R. 19 in this six minute video:

Throughout the day on Tuesday, both Congressman Sean Casten and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood have issued tweets in support of the Democratic position of H.R. 3.

This slide was issued by Underwood this afternoon with a series of three tweets, which are transcribed next to the slide:

“American families should not have to struggle to afford the lifesaving prescription drugs they need to live healthy lives, yet far too many are in this position and forced to go without the medication they need. It’s dangerous and unacceptable.

“I introduced a five point plan to lower prescription drug prices by reducing out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs, negotiating lower drug prices, eliminating price hikes, ensuring generics remain affordable options, & investing in research for tomorrow’s cures.

“I’m delighted to see many of these priorities come to the House floor for a vote this week. It will be a great step toward giving American families the relief they desperately need.”

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood via congressional Twitter tweet 12/10/19
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Late last month, McHenry County Blog examined Underwood’s “five point plan” and the seven pieces of legislation that went with it, and with one possible piece of legislation, found it unworkable and downright socialist.

But earlier in the day, Casten gets into the H.R. 3 promotional act, beginning with a Facebook town hall from DC:

In Twitter, it was asked if he’ll discuss H.R. 19, as well as a specific time he will be conducting this Facebook live stream town hall.

Like Underwood, Casten took to Twitter and shared two pages of talking points, with his Twitter comment transcribed below:

“Did you know that more than 1 million people in Illinois live with diabetes?

“They spend anywhere from $1,200 to $20,000 on insulin medications each year.

“Under the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, they could save 3.5 times that on life-sustaining insulin.”

Sean Casten from congressional Twitter account 12/10/19
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The question has already gone to Casten’s office that the H.R. 19 proposal would achieve similar savings, WITHOUT stifling innovation or the number of new meds brought to market.

Read all of the footnotes on sources in the two slides from the House Ways & Means Committee for the 6th district, and not one of them cites Congressional Budget Office (CBO) data.

H.R. 19 works for the above, too, and was discussed specifically in one of the 7 videos Congressmen Walden and Dan Crenshaw did, and the link is in Sunday’s article.

The Democrats cannot fool the American people. The cornerstone for H.R. 3 is the “negotiation” of drug prices between Medicare and the pharmaceutical companies using a very questionable calculation of prices from six price-controlled countries (U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Australia and Japan) with confiscatory taxation on revenues, 95%, if pharmaceuticals failure to comply.

Both Democrats and Republicans want a cap on out-of-pocket Part D expenses. H.R. 3 wants $2,000, and while I cannot read H.R. 19, the Senate legislation, S. 2543 sets a cap at $3,100 for Part D out of pocket. That difference can be worked out.

Once the H.R. 19 legislation is available for public viewing, and if the Democrats insist on passing H.R. 3 this week in the House, may H.R. 19 and S. 2543 be the basis for Republican legislation to implement as soon as possible, either through House-Senate Conference Committee, or after the 2020 Elections.

H.R. 3 means fewer cures, and that is a path against the 1st amendment protection of intellectual property and innovation that cannot happen.

The end through H.R. 3 is closer to complete socialism.