Report: "Drug companies on verge of sinking longtime Democratic priority" (action needed)

[Friend, sign and send the petition to your Democratic member(s) of the U.S. House and Senate: Say NO to Big Pharma. Democrats must include Medicare negotiation of prescription drug prices in the Build Back Better Act.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( I've got some bad news on the fight to include Medicare negotiation of prescription drug prices in the Build Back Better Act. This Monday morning headline from The Hill says it all: [Drug companies on verge of sinking longtime Democratic priority]( Time is not on our side. In order to make sure that Build Back Better lowers prescription drug prices in Medicare, and that the money saved can be invested in the fight against climate change, expanded educational opportunities for our children, and greater access to health care for seniors and low-income Americans, it is crucial that grassroots activists like you take action right away: [Sign and send the petition to your Democratic member(s) of Congress: Say NO to Big Pharma. Democrats must include Medicare negotiation of prescription drug prices in the Build Back Better Act.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( There are reasons for hope. Democratic leaders in Congress and the White House remain committed to including Medicare negotiation of the price of prescription drugs in the Build Back Better Act. Also, new polling released on Monday morning suggests that [an eye-popping 86% of the country supports the idea.]( Further, last week alone over 23,000 Daily Kos members sent letters to their Democratic members of Congress urging them to keep the provision in the Build Back Better Act. Together, Democratic leaders, grassroots activists, and the American people make a formidable coalition. That is a heck of a lot for any Democratic member of Congress to oppose. We just need to remind ALL Democratic members of the House and Senate that we are really not kidding when we say that we want lower prescription drug prices NOW, and we want the money the country saves from lower drug prices to be invested in the fight against climate change, more educational opportunities for our children, and expanded access to affordable health care for seniors and low-income Americans. [Remind Democrats who they work for. Sign and send the petition to your Democratic member(s) of the U.S. House and Senate: Say NO to Big Pharma. include Medicare negotiation of prescription drug prices in the Build Back Better Act.]( [SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION]( Keep fighting, Chris Bowers Executive Campaign Director, Daily Kos Below, you can see the email that my colleague Paul Hogarth sent you last week on this same topic. --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, [sign and send the petition: Say NO to Big Pharma. Democrats must include Medicare negotiation of prescription drug prices in the Build Back Better Act.]( [Sign and send the petition]( One of the most crucial parts of the Build Back Better Act would allow Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. This would generate up to [$500 billion in savings]( to the federal government, savings which could be redirected to investments that would be more useful than lining the pockets of already wealthy executives. That $500 billion would make it possible to expand Medicare access to include dental, visual and hearing assistance without raising taxes. It could help us fight climate change, and expand Medicaid to millions of people who live in red states where Republicans have turned down Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. If giving Medicare the power to negotiate the price of prescription drugs gets removed from the Build Back Better Act, it would blow a hole in the budget and result in hard decisions about which programs to cut from the bill. Unfortunately, a small group of corporate Democrats are doing just that. Egged on by pharmaceutical lobbyists, three House Democrats—Kathleen Rice of New York, Kurt Schrader of Oregon and Scott Peters of California—[are opposing this popular measure]( in the Build Back Better Act. [Sign and send the petition: Say NO to Big Pharma lobbyists. Medicare must be able to negotiate prescription drug prices.]( [Sign and send the petition]( Seniors need a reduction in the cost of prescription drugs. About 3 in 10 Americans have not taken their full prescriptions due to cost, sometimes with [fatal consequences](. Giving Medicare the power to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs would mean disabled people would see lower costs for critical treatments, and people of color could see more equitable health outcomes. Big pharmaceutical companies have taken advantage of this unfair system for way too long, which is why they are part of the big corporate [lobbying blitz]( to kill this part of Build Back Better. And right now, they have the ear of enough Democrats in Congress to achieve their goal. We must put pressure on all House and Senate Democrats to stand firm and remind them that they work for us, not Big Pharma. [Sign and send the petition to House and Senate Democrats: JUST SAY NO to Big Pharma. Medicare must be able to negotiate prescription drug prices.]( [Sign and send the petition]( Keep fighting, Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos Daily Kos Relies on Readers Like You We don't have billionaire backers like some right-wing media outlets. 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