ARIZONA — As Congress works on a budget plan that includes giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, a new project shows the overwhelming, bipartisan support for this reform across Arizona.
The findings are part of a new website and interactive map showing support for district-by-district and state-by-state data. Arizona lawmakers and constituents can now find the level of backing for Medicare negotiation, opinions about pharmaceutical companies, concerns about Congress failing to act, and belief in pharma’s top arguments. The project was conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of Protect Our Care and Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
The model shows that:
The Arizona data were determined using a large national sample of more than 4,000 likely voters and a sophisticated computer modeling program. Using the large sample combined with voter profiles, support levels have been modeled for all 50 states and 435 congressional districts, including Arizona, and can be viewed here. The Data for Progress team used advanced modeling techniques known as MRP (multilevel regression with poststratification) to estimate support at the congressional district and state level. More on methodology can be found on the website.
“This issue has been litigated in the court of public opinion for years now, and even in the midst of a pandemic, voters are clear: They want Medicare to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Americans,” said David Mitchell, a patient with an incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients and consumers are hurting, too often having to choose between paying outrageous prices for their drugs or covering costs of other necessities. We support Congress and the Biden administration as they act to end this injustice in America.”
“Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone in the world. Big Pharma’s greed knows no bounds, and Americans from all walks of life are hurting from skyrocketing costs,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “The new polling from Data for Progress confirms that voters are fed up with the status quo and demanding action from their elected officials. It is imperative that Congress give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices for all Americans — any lawmaker that tries to stand in the way is on the wrong side of this issue and on the wrong side of their constituents.”
“These numbers make it abundantly clear that voters want prescription drug price reforms,” said Sean McElwee, Executive Director at Data for Progress. “With strong support for allowing Medicare to negotiate to lower drug prices and the belief among voters that prescription drug prices are unreasonable, it’s clear that Congress must act to make these changes.”
Nationwide, the survey found that by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters are more concerned that Congress won’t do enough to rein in the cost of prescription drugs than that Congress will go too far in restraining prices.
This new poll comes as the Senate Finance Committee is drafting legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan. The House of Representatives will begin marking up the reconciliation package, including a version of its Medicare negotiation legislation, H.R. 3, this week.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Congress works on a budget plan that includes giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, a new project shows the overwhelming, bipartisan support for this reform in each of the 435 districts in Congress and all 50 states in the U.S. Senate.
The district-by-district and state-by-state support levels are available for lawmakers and constituents in this new interactive map here. The project was conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of Protect Our Care and Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
In every district and every state, constituents and lawmakers can now find the support for reform, opinions about pharmaceutical companies, concerns about congressional action, and belief in pharma’s top arguments.
The nationally representative survey of 4,222 likely voters shows that:
Using the large sample and a sophisticated computer modeling program, support levels have been modeled for all 50 states and 435 congressional districts, and can be viewed here. The Data for Progress team used advanced modeling techniques known as MRP (multilevel regression with poststratification) to estimate support at the congressional district and state level. More on methodology can be found on the website.
For example, the support level for allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices is 90% in Arizona and 91% in New Jersey. In CA-52, 81% believe that Medicare can negotiate lower prices without harming innovation, and in FL-07, 70% are more worried that Congress won’t do enough to lower drug prices instead of worrying that Congress will do too much.
“This issue has been litigated in the court of public opinion for years now, and even in the midst of a pandemic, voters are clear: They want Medicare to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Americans,” said David Mitchell, a patient with an incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients and consumers are hurting, too often having to choose between paying outrageous prices for their drugs or covering costs of other necessities. We support Congress and the Biden administration as they act to end this injustice in America.”
“Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone in the world. Big Pharma’s greed knows no bounds, and Americans from all walks of life are hurting from skyrocketing costs,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “The new polling from Data for Progress confirms that voters are fed up with the status quo and demanding action from their elected officials. It is imperative that Congress give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices for all Americans — any lawmaker that tries to stand in the way is on the wrong side of this issue and on the wrong side of their constituents.”
“These numbers make it abundantly clear that voters want prescription drug price reforms,” said Sean McElwee, Executive Director at Data for Progress. “With strong support for allowing Medicare to negotiate to lower drug prices and the belief among voters that prescription drug prices are unreasonable, it’s clear that Congress must act to make these changes.”
The survey found that by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters are more concerned that Congress won’t do enough to rein in the cost of prescription drugs than that Congress will go too far in restraining prices.
This new poll comes as the Senate Finance Committee is drafting legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan. The House of Representatives will begin marking up the reconciliation package, including a version of its Medicare negotiation legislation, H.R. 3, this week.
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DELAWARE — As Congress works on a budget plan that includes giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, a new project shows the overwhelming, bipartisan support for this reform across Delaware.
The findings are part of a new website and interactive map showing support for district-by-district and state-by-state data. Delaware lawmakers and constituents can now find the level of backing for Medicare negotiation, opinions about pharmaceutical companies, concerns about Congress failing to act, and belief in pharma’s top arguments. The project was conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of Protect Our Care and Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
The model shows that:
The Delaware data were determined using a large national sample of more than 4,000 likely voters and a sophisticated computer modeling program. Using the large sample combined with voter profiles, support levels have been modeled for all 50 states and 435 congressional districts, including Delaware, and can be viewed here. The Data for Progress team used advanced modeling techniques known as MRP (multilevel regression with poststratification) to estimate support at the congressional district and state level. More on methodology can be found on the website.
“This issue has been litigated in the court of public opinion for years now, and even in the midst of a pandemic, voters are clear: They want Medicare to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Americans,” said David Mitchell, a patient with an incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients and consumers are hurting, too often having to choose between paying outrageous prices for their drugs or covering costs of other necessities. We support Congress and the Biden administration as they act to end this injustice in America.”
“Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone in the world. Big Pharma’s greed knows no bounds, and Americans from all walks of life are hurting from skyrocketing costs,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “The new polling from Data for Progress confirms that voters are fed up with the status quo and demanding action from their elected officials. It is imperative that Congress give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices for all Americans — any lawmaker that tries to stand in the way is on the wrong side of this issue and on the wrong side of their constituents.”
“These numbers make it abundantly clear that voters want prescription drug price reforms,” said Sean McElwee, Executive Director at Data for Progress. “With strong support for allowing Medicare to negotiate to lower drug prices and the belief among voters that prescription drug prices are unreasonable, it’s clear that Congress must act to make these changes.”
Nationwide, the survey found that by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters are more concerned that Congress won’t do enough to rein in the cost of prescription drugs than that Congress will go too far in restraining prices.
This new poll comes as the Senate Finance Committee is drafting legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan. The House of Representatives will begin marking up the reconciliation package, including a version of its Medicare negotiation legislation, H.R. 3, this week.
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NEW JERSEY — As Congress works on a budget plan that includes giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, a new project shows the overwhelming, bipartisan support for this reform across New Jersey.
The findings are part of a new website and interactive map showing support for district-by-district and state-by-state data. New Jersey lawmakers and constituents can now find the level of backing for Medicare negotiation, opinions about pharmaceutical companies, concerns about Congress failing to act, and belief in pharma’s top arguments. The project was conducted by Data for Progress on behalf of Protect Our Care and Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
The model shows that:
The New Jersey data were determined using a large national sample of more than 4,000 likely voters and a sophisticated computer modeling program. Using the large sample combined with voter profiles, support levels have been modeled for all 50 states and 435 congressional districts, including New Jersey, and can be viewed here. The Data for Progress team used advanced modeling techniques known as MRP (multilevel regression with poststratification) to estimate support at the congressional district and state level. More on methodology can be found on the website.
“This issue has been litigated in the court of public opinion for years now, and even in the midst of a pandemic, voters are clear: They want Medicare to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Americans,” said David Mitchell, a patient with an incurable blood cancer whose drugs carry a list price of more than $900,000 per year and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now. “Patients and consumers are hurting, too often having to choose between paying outrageous prices for their drugs or covering costs of other necessities. We support Congress and the Biden administration as they act to end this injustice in America.”
“Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anyone in the world. Big Pharma’s greed knows no bounds, and Americans from all walks of life are hurting from skyrocketing costs,” said Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse. “The new polling from Data for Progress confirms that voters are fed up with the status quo and demanding action from their elected officials. It is imperative that Congress give Medicare the power to negotiate for lower drug prices for all Americans — any lawmaker that tries to stand in the way is on the wrong side of this issue and on the wrong side of their constituents.”
“These numbers make it abundantly clear that voters want prescription drug price reforms,” said Sean McElwee, Executive Director at Data for Progress. “With strong support for allowing Medicare to negotiate to lower drug prices and the belief among voters that prescription drug prices are unreasonable, it’s clear that Congress must act to make these changes.”
Nationwide, the survey found that by more than a 2-to-1 margin, voters are more concerned that Congress won’t do enough to rein in the cost of prescription drugs than that Congress will go too far in restraining prices.
This new poll comes as the Senate Finance Committee is drafting legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate, which would deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan. The House of Representatives will begin marking up the reconciliation package, including a version of its Medicare negotiation legislation, H.R. 3, this week.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, in response to the release today of the Biden administration’s Comprehensive Plan for Addressing High Drug Prices: A Report in Response to the Executive Order on Competition in the American Economy:
“The plan issued today by the Biden administration is bold, comprehensive, and exciting. It will spur innovation and research into new treatments that patients want and need, and ensure that those new medicines are available at prices families and our nation can afford. It will improve the health and financial well-being of patients across the country. We look forward to working with the administration and Congress to implement its recommendations, including enacting legislation this year that will allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices on behalf of Americans.”
Background:
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now released a new video that exposes how Big Pharma’s recent multi-million dollar ad campaigns are full of lies about how Medicare negotiation would limit access to drugs. The 40-second video, featuring cancer patient and P4ADNow founder David Mitchell, explains that congressional Democrats’ plan to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices would increase access as drugs become more affordable.
The video comes on the heels of Patients For Affordable Drugs’ new fact checkthat breaks down six false claims in pharma-funded ads, including misleading claims about the implications of repealing the non-interference clause and direct Medicare negotiation.
Both the new video and the fact check debunk industry ads currently being run by PhRMA itself, Medicare Today, the Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association, the American Conservative Union, and other industry-allied groups that total more than $18 million this year.
Read the video transcript below and watch the full video here.
Transcript:
I have incurable cancer, and prescription drugs are keeping me alive.
No one cares more about access to drugs than patients like me.
Big Pharma’s running ads saying the Democrats in Congress want to limit access to prescription drugs.
It’s not true.
High prices limit access to medications people need right now.
The Democratic plan would actually improve access by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices.
Nothing in the plan limits access to drugs.
It’s another Big Pharma big lie. Don’t fall for it.
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STATEMENT: CBO Report Reiterates Drug Pricing Reform Will Have Minimal Impact On New Drugs Coming To Market
Lower Prices Could Improve Americans’ Overall Health By Making Drugs More Affordable
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The following statement was issued by David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now, in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s Simulation of New Drug Development:
“The CBO’s new analysis regarding the connection between lowering drug company revenue and drug company investment in developing new drugs concludes that drug pricing legislation will have less of an impact on the number of drugs coming to market than in CBO’s 2019 analysis. While the report finds that there is a potential for seven percent fewer new drugs to come to market under Medicare negotiation in the next three decades, it does not examine the impact on patients, access to medication, or the health of the American people.
“As we know, a new drug does not necessarily mean new innovation — only 10 to 15 percent of new drugs represent true therapeutic advancements. The seven percent loss may have no effect on development of truly innovative medications that would bring patients relief and command higher prices.
“CBO confirms and reiterates what we already know about Medicare negotiation — the impact on innovation will be negligible or nonexistent: we can mitigate any effect on new drugs by making sure the negotiation framework rewards value and by investing more money into the public agenciesthat lead to the most innovative drugs with the most therapeutic significance.”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Patients For Affordable Drugs Now launched a seven-figure ad buy today across 12 House districts thanking representatives for supporting proposals to lower drug prices by allowing Medicare negotiation. This campaign counters Big Pharma’s recent attack ads against H.R. 3, a House bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate on behalf of Americans. The ads will run on cable and broadcast in 12 districts during August recess and feature three patients who have struggled to afford their prescription drugs.
“Americans are paying almost four times what people in other wealthy nations pay for the same brand-name drugs. Members of Congress know that 9 out of 10 Americans support reforms that allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for the people of this country,” said David Mitchell, a cancer patient and founder of Patients For Affordable Drugs Now.
“We want to send a clear message to those members of the House standing with patients in support of Medicare negotiation — we thank you and we have your back,” Mitchell continued. “Contrary to Big Pharma’s lies, we can have the innovation we need at prices patients can afford. As the president said last week, high drug prices ‘put the squeeze on too many families and strip them of their dignity … Medicare is going to negotiate a fair price!’”
The ads highlight three patient advocates: Jackie, a cancer patient in Muskego, Wisconsin, whose treatment, Revlimid, is priced at over $20,000 per month; Ashley, a psoriatic arthritis patient in Houston who relied on Humira, which is currently priced at $5,968 per month; and Marcus, who lives with type 1 diabetes in Cincinnati and struggles to afford his insulin.
“Because insulin is so expensive, I’ve had to skip and ration my doses,” Marcus, a husband, father, and minister, says in the ad.
“It’s really simple,” Ashley explains. “Prescription drugs don’t work if people can’t afford them.”
The ads end with a message thanking each representative. “Right now, there’s a plan in Congress to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices,” says the ad in Kansas’ third congressional district. “Sharice Davids supports it. Representative Davids, thank you.”
The ads will run in the following districts:
P4ADNow’s House ads begin airing days after the launch of a new national adthat calls on Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate, as well as a new advocacy website — MedicareNegotiation.org — for patients to advocate for Congress to pass legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices.
The House of Representatives reintroduced Medicare negotiation legislation H.R. 3 in April. Since then, President Biden has called on Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices. The Senate has voted to move forward with drafting a legislative package to deliver on the president’s Build Back Better plan, which includes lowering drug prices through Medicare negotiation, and the Senate Finance Committee is reportedly drafting another bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate, and is likely to be included in the Senate’s final package.
In addition to P4ADNow’s campaign, other groups such as AARP and Protect Our Care are also running sizable ad campaigns to counter pharma’s ads and remind Congress that patients support Medicare negotiation.
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