P4ADNow Announces California Ads Urging Reps. Peters And Correa To Vote For Effective Medicare Negotiation In Build Back Better Act

CALIFORNIA — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched new ads today urging Reps. Scott Peters (CA-52) and Lou Correa (CA-46) to vote for passage of strong Medicare negotiation legislation in the Build Back Better Act. The campaign includes TV and digital ads featuring patient advocate Kris Garcia, who lives with multiple bleeding disorders including hemophilia. It also includes grassroots advocacy, in which patients will write and call their members of Congress directly asking them to pass the Build Back Better Act, including legislation to lower drug prices for patients. 

“Each infusion of medicine that I need to live costs nearly $40,000. But without it, a minor accident can become a medical crisis for me and a financial crisis for my family,” Kris, a father of three based in Denver, explains in the ads. “For millions of Americans like me, this isn’t about politics — this is about life and death.”

In 2019, Rep. Peters (CA-52) touted his support for H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices. But after receiving over $239,000 in contributions from the pharmaceutical and health products industry, he flip-flopped to oppose the bill, even threatening to derail his party’s budget bill if it includes the legislation. Last month, he voted against inclusion of legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices in the Build Back Better Act. Watch the CA-52 ad here.

“Scott Peters is standing with Big Pharma and against the will of voters, opposing a plan to lower drug prices,” the ad in CA-52 says. “Tell Representative Peters to fight for patients and vote for the Build Back Better Act.”

Rep. Correa (CA-46) voted for the drug pricing measure H.R. 3 in 2019. This year, however, Rep. Correa joined Rep. Peters in introducing a rival drug pricing bill that fails to empower negotiation in Medicare Part D, which accounts for 83 percent of Medicare drug spending, excludes most expensive Part B drugs from negotiation, and has a much higher out-of-pocket cap. He also signed a letter led by Rep. Peters voicing concerns about partisan drug pricing reforms in May and enjoys a close relationship with pharma-allied groups opposed to negotiation. Watch the CA-46 ad here.

“Lou Correa has the chance to fight for Californians by letting Medicare negotiate lower drug prices,” the ad in CA-46 says. “Tell Representative Correa to stand with patients against Big Pharma and vote yes on the Build Back Better Act.”

“91 percent of Californians support allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, and 75 percent of voters think drug prices are unreasonable,” said David Mitchell, a patient with incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “It is imperative that Reps. Peters and Correa seize this moment and deliver on promises to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for Americans — instead of supporting a weak and ineffective substitute masquerading as negotiation and designed to protect Big Pharma.”

Below are digital ads also running in each district:

P4ADNow also launched ads today urging Reps. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), and Kathleen Rice (NY-04) to pass strong Medicare negotiation legislation in the Build Back Better Act. These ads come on the heels of P4ADNow’s Arizona ad launch and are running simultaneously with two nationalads that combat Big Pharma’s lies and scare tactics. These ads are part of a seven-figure campaign that includes digital ads running across a variety of websites and news outlets and congressional outreach, where patient advocates are contacting their members of Congress to demand passage of legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate. P4ADNow’s recent ads can be found here. 

On Capitol Hill, Senate and House leadership along with President Biden are working to craft a reconciliation package that includes legislation to let Medicare negotiate and has the support of all Democratic members of Congress. The current House version of the package includes H.R. 3, a comprehensive bill that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices, which recently advanced out of the Ways and Means Committee.