Families USA Statement for the Record for Senate HELP Hearing on High Drug Costs

Families USA submitted this statement for the record in advance of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)’s February 8 hearing “Why Does the United States Pay, by Far, the Highest Prices in the World for Prescription Drugs?”

High and rising drug costs are a uniquely American problem and a major factor as to why health care affordability is an American crisis. Drug prices threaten the health and financial security of families and individuals in every state and community. Big drug companies abuse the patent system, delay the entry of generic drugs, and price gouge to support their greed while families and individuals go into medical debt, ration or skip medications, and have to choose between filling their prescription or filling their fridge.