House passes Pelosi drug pricing bill in bid to show Democratic priorities beyond impeachment
by Kimberly Leonard
| December 12, 2019 02:07 PM
House Democrats passed a sweeping measure to lower prescription drug prices Thursday, the latest in the party's messaging strategy to show it can fulfill campaign promises while pursuing impeachment against President Trump.
The bill, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, lets the government negotiate the prices of some of the most expensive drugs, penalizes companies that won't comply, and caps what seniors pay for their medicines. It also would add vision, dental, and hearing aids to the list of benefits covered by Medicare.
The bill passed 230-192 despite months of intraparty fighting, in which members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus felt left out of the process and wanted the bill to be much harsher on the pharmaceutical industry than Democratic leaders did. Liberals managed to secure a couple of wins with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including raising the minimum number of drugs to be negotiated from 35 to 50. They threatened to vote against the measure otherwise and would have succeeded at sinking the bill with only 18 "nay" votes.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/house-passes-pelosi-drug-pricing-bill-in-bid-to-show-democratic-priorities-beyond-impeachment
