Via WGME
On Capitol Hill, a vote is expected any time now on what’s being called the biggest health care bill of the year.
It’s intended to lower prescription drug prices.
Republicans and democrats both say they want to lower prescription drug costs, but democratic leaders packaged the “drug price” legislation with several bills aimed at strengthening Obamacare, which republicans don’t support.
Republicans, and even some democrats, including Maine Representative Jared Golden, say the bills should be considered separately.
CBS 13 talked with Congressman Golden Thursday from Washington, D.C.
He’s leading a bipartisan group, calling on house leadership to drop the political games.
He says while he’s planning to vote in favor of the package, this is a missed opportunity to do more to lower the price of prescription drugs and to work with republicans.
“By taking some legislation that came out of a committee, that was focused on dealing with prescription drug prices, and then bringing in some also good provisions to try to approve the Affordable Care Act, shifts the focus and introduces some politics into the issue that republicans may not support,” Golden said.
The goal of the drug price bills is to make it easier for generic medication to come to market, but the proposal would also shore up the Affordable Care Act, and make the whole thing unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate.