Gillibrand touts legislation to lower drug costs: This idea ‘is deeply bipartisan’

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) this week touted legislation aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs for Americans, calling it a “deeply bipartisan” issue.

Gillbrand spoke in Syracuse touting a package of three bills intended to address high drug prices, saying Senate Democrats could pass the legislation if they reform the filibuster, NPR affiliate WRVO reported.

“I think this is an idea that is deeply bipartisan, 88 percent of Americans support it, so I hope we can get some bipartisan legislation passed. If not, if we do reform the filibuster, this could be included,” Gillibrand said.

The former presidential candidate added that the proposed legislation would foster increased competition and force drug prices to go down while also helping seniors by lowering their medical costs, WRVO reported.

“One is letting Medicare negotiate in bulk, HHS [Health and Human Services], just like they do for the VA Medicaid,” Gillibrand said. “One is to let New Yorkers and anyone else who wants to buy drugs in Canada to go ahead and do that, and the other is let any pharmacy or bulk purchaser, buy in bulk from these other countries.”

The Hill has reached out to Gillibrand’s office for more information.

Congressional Democrats have pushed to add drug pricing measures and an expansion of Medicare eligibility to President Biden’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan.

Biden called for Congress to pass drug pricing legislation in his address to Congress last week, though the measure was not included in the president’s families plan.