Americans pay 2 to 4 times more for prescription drugs than citizens of any other developed country. One in four Americans reports rationing or skipping medications because of cost. Insulin, which costs $6–$10 to manufacture, can cost uninsured Americans over $300 per vial.

Congress had a solution. H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, would have allowed Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices — something the VA already does. It would have capped out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and penalized companies that raise prices faster than inflation.

It passed the House in December 2019. Mitch McConnell refused to bring it to a vote in the Senate. He called it "socialist price controls" and let it die.

How It Harmed Americans:

For years, McConnell's blockade meant the pharmaceutical industry could continue charging Americans whatever they wanted. Diabetics rationed insulin and some died. Cancer patients faced bankruptcy. Seniors on fixed incomes chose between medication and food.

When Medicare negotiation provisions were finally included in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, they were weaker than H.R. 3's original provisions — and years of preventable suffering had already passed. McConnell personally lobbied Republican senators to oppose even the watered-down version.

Reference List:

H.R. 3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, 116th Congress (2019)
RAND Corporation, "Prescription Drug Prices in the U.S. Compared to Other Countries" (multiple years)
Kaiser Family Foundation, "Public Opinion on Prescription Drug Costs" (2019–2023)
Commonwealth Fund, "Paying for Prescription Drugs Around the World: Why Is the U.S. an Outlier?" (2017)