As part of the AMSA National Just Medicine Campaign, eleven DGSOM AMSA members attended Rep. Harley Rouda’s (CA-48) town hall to advocate for decreased prescription drug prices. The students submitted questions to Rep. Rouda, sharing personal stories and asking the congressman to co-sponsor H.R. 1046, the Medicare Negotiation & Competitive Licensing Act.
H.R. 1046 would allow Medicare to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies while also barring anti-competitive behaviors in the pharmaceutical industry. If negotiations fail, under H.R. 1046, a competitive license would be issued to a generic manufacturer to allow for production of the drug in question at significantly lower cost. This legislation provides a robust intervention and more detailed parameters for price negotiations compared to other similar bills. (See Just Medicine Campaign page for more information about the legislation).
During the town hall, Rep. Rouda expressed his support for affordable prescription medications and the concept of Medicare negotiation with pharmaceutical companies, but did not indicate whether he planned to co-sponsor the bill. When pressed, he stated that he had not read this piece of legislation and would no co-sponsor without learning the details of the bill.
Since then, DGSOM AMSA has been in constant contact with his office regarding H.R. 1046 and will continue to target advocacy efforts towards garnering increased support for this legislation.
If you are interested in getting involved in these efforts please contact us.
