I am proud to represent the eighth district in washington. The person i am the first pediatrician elected to congress and currently the only female doctor in Congress Pretty im also a patient with type 1 diabetes. My life depends on insulin. So the high cost of Prescription Drugs affect me and people like me every day. That is why im so excited about hr three, the Elijah E Cummings lower drug cost now act. I am thrilled it past the house. A really big, really purple district. I have driven 7300 miles traversing my district and talking with people about the issues that matter to them. In my district, is not impeachment, it is not what is on the front page of the newspapers in washington dc. It is what are you going to do to bring down the cost of Prescription Drugs . It does not matter if youre a democrat or republican. If you cannot afford your medication you want a representative in congress who will go to bat for you. Because medications will not make you healthier if you cannot afford to buy them. I understand this issue both as a doctor anticipation. Because it is not the reticle for my patients army. When we talk about the cost of insulin, i felt that personally. The price of my insulin was 30 20 years ago to three dollars today. Holdss for a bottle that two teaspoons, 10 milliliters. This is not a medication you can choose not to take if you do not take insulin, you die. It is that simple. It is unconscionable that the price has jumped sevenfold in 20 years. Nothing else sees that kind of inflation. In congress id worked as 20 i work 20 years as a pediatrician in the suburbs of seattle three hours from cap the canadian border. I would have patients, from the pharmacy if they could not afford prescriptions i had prescribed. There is so little transparency that your doctor does not know what price any patient will pay. Most are prescribed electronically but when patients asked for a printed prescription, i understood why. They would drive to canada with those prescriptions because in canada the three had a dollar insulin cost 50. And patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, their humana cost a small fraction of u. S. Prices just across the border. Right now americans pay on average three to four times what our neighbors in canada or people in france, germany, england, australia and japan pay for their medications. We should not be subsidizing the rest of the developed world medications. That is why we just passed hr three, the lower drug cost now act. This is groundbreaking legislation that will make a meaningful difference in the lives and health of americans and every one of our district. The power tocare negotiate the cost of Prescription Drugs. This will start with insulin and the most extensive medication. It then extends those lower prices to others so every buddy wins. No longer will american seniors and families before to pay more for our medications than the Drug Companies charge for the exact same drugs overseas. It also caps outofpocket medication expenses for seniors at 2000 per year. Many seniors have been on fixed incomes. No senior should have to choose between taking their medication or putting food on the table. This bill saves taxpayers more than half 1 trillion. And we want to use that money well. One of the ways is the bill i introduce that broadens Medicare Coverage to include eye exams and eyeglasses for seniors. This is a tremendous gap in coverage for the people who need glasses and vision care the most. This bill is pretty darn groundbreaking. I am optimistic about this bill being signed into law. This is because the American People wanted. And our president has said he believes we should negotiate the price of Prescription Drugs. I know that my district cannot be all that different from the districts represented by my replicant colleagues. Looking touents are us to fix the problem of outofcontrol drug price inflation. Lowering Prescription Drug costs is a piece of the democrats for the people agenda. I am so pleased today to deliver hr three, for the people we all serve. Now i call and my colleagues in the senate to pass the lower drug cost now act. The American People cannot wait another day for this to become law. The house will be in order. For 40 years, cspan has provided america unfiltered coverage of congress, the white house, the supreme court, and publicpolicy events from washington, d. C. And around the country, so you can make up your own mind. Created by cable in 1979, cspan is brought to you by your local cable or satellite provider. Cspan, your unfiltered view of government. Congressman mike doyle is chair of the energy and commerce subcommittee on communications and technology. One of the key policy makers when it comes to Telecommunications Policy. Congressman doyle, in this past year, what has your subcommittee accomplished when it comes to Telecommunications Policy . We have been very busy on the communications and technology subcommittee. Tomorrow, we will be on the floor with stella. Something that the senate has had a hard time marking up a bill. We were able to mark up in my subcommittee in full committee. We will have that on the floor tomorrow in the suspension calendar