New Cosponsors for Bills I Support

	Title	Cosponsors
		4/18/2017	5/18/2017
HR 184	Repeals Medical Device Excise Tax	249	251
HR 325	Adult Day Center Enhancement Act	0	0
HR 394	Repeals limiting payments from HSAs & flex spending accts to only prescription drugs	12	13
HR 750	Ensuring Access to Quality Complex Rehabilitation Technology Act of 2017	29	49
HR 807	Repeals Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps	101	139
HR 849	Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board	102	139
HR 2439	Fair Drug Pricing		4
S 85	Repeals limiting payments from HSAs & flex spending accts to only prescription drugs	3	3
S108	Repeals Medical Device Excise Tax	14	14
S251	Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board	8	9
S253	Repeals Medicare outpatient rehabilitation therapy caps	22	23
S260	Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board	34	36
S 870	Chronic Care Act		18
S 1028	Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2017- RAISE		3
S 1131	Fair Drug Pricing		1

The Fair Drug Pricing Act, Senate Bill S.131 & House Bill HR.2439

As an individual living for the past 33 years with the effects of MS, an MS activist, member of the Pennsylvania Government Relations Advisory Committee, inductee into the National MS Society Advocacy Hall of Fame and one who has witnessed the unsustainable rates of increase for all FDA approved MS therapies; I ask you to urge your Senators and Congressional Representatives to cosponsor and support Senate Bill 1131 or House of Representatives Bill 2439 a bill to require reporting regarding certain drug price increases (The fair drug pricing act). Simply shining light on the ever increasing price of chronic disease medications may well give the pharmaceutical industry reason to reconsider price increases that go directly to their bottom lines.

FAIR Drug Pricing Act

May 16 2017

McCAIN & BALDWIN INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO BRING TRANSPARENCY TO PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICE INCREASES

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today reintroduced the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation that takes the first step in addressing skyrocketing prescription drug prices by providing transparency of pharmaceutical corporations that plan to significantly increase drug prices. U.S. prescription drug spending reached a record high of $425 billion in 2015, accounting for almost 16.7 percent of all U.S. health care spending, with expectations that spending will surpass $600 billion by 2020.

“Far too many Americans have been unfairly burdened by the rising costs of prescription medication,” said Senator McCain. “The American people should not be forced to choose between filling a prescription and making their monthly mortgage payment. This legislation would bring much-needed transparency to prescription drug prices – a policy that 8 in 10 Americans support, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Transparency leads to accountability, and it is past time that mantra applied to the skyrocketing cost of prescription medication.”

“Drug corporations are sticking it to Americans with skyrocketing prescription drug prices,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’ve heard from countless Wisconsinites who continue to see dramatic price increases. They are struggling to afford their prescriptions that they have relied on for years and they want Washington to act. Our bipartisan reform will require transparency and accountability for drug corporations who are jacking up costs for families in need of affordable lifesaving treatments.”

“The need for action to solve the prescription drug price crisis facing Americans is undeniable,” said Representative Schakowsky. “When a quarter of families in our country are unable to fill out prescriptions for the drugs they need due to skyrocketing costs, it is time to hold manufacturers accountable. If a prescription drug corporation wants to hike the price of life-saving medications, they should have to face the American people and explain why. I’m proud to join Senators McCain and Baldwin in proposing a bicameral, bipartisan solution to ensure drug companies come clean to the American people.”

“It’s abundantly clear that we need to address the unsustainable trend of sky-high prescription drug prices,” said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins. “The FAIR Drug Pricing Act is an important step in demanding more transparency from pharmaceutical companies when they dramatically raise the prices of their products.”

“The prescription drug market is broken. There is little competition, costs are out of control, and consumers are denied information on the costs of the medications they depend on,” said Will Holley of the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP). “We applaud Senators McCain and Baldwin and Representative Schakowsky for introducing this bipartisan solution for Americans to better understand the real drivers of prescription drug prices. The open and honest information that this legislation creates would go a long way towards creating educated consumers and building a functional prescription drug market that works.”

The FAIR Drug Pricing Act would require drug manufacturers to notify the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and submit a transparency and justification report 30 days before they increase the price of certain drugs that cost at least $100 by more than 10 percent in one year or 25 percent over three years. The report would require manufacturers to provide a justification for each price increase; manufacturing, research and development costs for the qualifying drug; net profits attributable to the qualifying drug; marketing and advertising spending on the qualifying drug; and other information as deemed appropriate. The bill would not prohibit manufacturers from increasing prices, but it would, for the first time, give taxpayers notice of price increases and bring basic transparency to the market for prescription drugs.

One Drug Company's 2016 Financials Say...

I was surfing the Internet and casually said to myself, "Self, can you find any details on any of the MS drug suppliers financial statements?

Well here is what I found (for one of the top ABC drug makers).

Gross Revenue $ 11,448,800,000

Cost of Goods $ 1,810,000,000

Gross Profit Margin 87.08%

Operating Profit $ 5,150,400,000 

Operating Profit Margin 44.99%

It spent $ 1,970,000,000 on research and development (we always here how much it costs for R&D)

It paid $ 1,240,000,000 in income tax

Net Profit was $3,700,000,000

So...How are they doing?

Better Access to Complex Rehab Technology

United Spinal’s ‘Roll on Capitol Hill’ to Push for Better Access to Complex Rehab Technology

MAY 8, 2017 

BY DANIELA SEMEDO, PHD

 

IN NEWS.

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) and others with spinal cord injuries and disorders will speak at the United Spinal Association’s upcoming 6th Annual Roll on Capitol Hill, which takes place June 11-14 in Washington, D.C. Andrea Dalzell, Ms. Wheelchair New York 2015, will be among those advocating for greater access to complex rehabilitation technology.

Dalzell, 29, said the subject is “extremely important” to her.

“Twenty-five years in a wheelchair means that I have wear and tear on my shoulders and my body,” Dalzell, who was diagnosed with transverse myelitis at the age of 5, said in a news release. “People like me need customized wheelchair design to prevent injury, prevent wounds, and to keep us living independently.”

Transverse myelitis is a neurological condition in which the spinal cord is inflamed, leading to decreased electrical conductivity in the central nervous system.

Complex rehab technology includes adaptive seating systems, alternative positioning systems and other mobility devices that require thorough and exact evaluation, fitting and adjustment. This type of technology aims to meet the very specific and unique needs of people with spinal cord diseases, neural muscular illnesses and other disabilities that require more than a standard wheelchair.

Due to current Medicaid regulations, wheelchair users have a hard time acquiring these vital components, which is one reason Dalzell worries about the Senate’s potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), following the House’s narrow vote last week to kill ACA, also known as Obamacare.

“The reason why I am alive today is because of the ACA. In 2010 I had a stage 4 wound that would not heal. I was on basic Medicaid seeing regular doctors instead of specialists,” Dalzell said. “Even with a pre-existing condition I was not denied. It was only then I was able to see the specialist who performed my surgery and healed me.”

Roll on Capitol Hill is United Spinal’s annual legislative advocacy event that addresses issues that affect the health, independence and quality of life of people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders.

Dalzell, who holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and neuroscience from New York’s College of Staten Island, is now in nursing school. She said the annual event has taught her how to talk with legislators about policy issues affecting people like herself.

“It is well-known that the disability unemployment rate is almost triple that of the non-disabled population, and I believe that has a lot to do with the ability to access the equipment needed to even get to college and pursue a higher education and professional career,” Dalzell said. “In 2017, from education to the workplace to health care, we still haven’t figured out how to be inclusive and provide access to basic needs for all our citizens.”

TAGGED COMPLEX REHAB TECHNOLOGY, DISABILITY, QUALITY OF LIFE, REHABILITATION, ROLL ON CAPITOL HILL, SCI/D, UNITED SPINAL ASSOCIATION, DANIELA SEMEDO PHD, Andrea Dalzell , HR 750, Multiple Sclerosis News Today

Thank You Sent to Pennsylvania Congressional Representatives for Cosponsoring Bills I Personally Support

Since May 1, 2017 I have tweeted the following to Pennsylvania Members of Congress:

1. Thank You Congressman Brendan Boyle @RepBrendanBoyle (PA13) for cosponsoring HR 184 Protect Medical Innovation Act #MSactivist Repeals Medical Device Tax
2. Thank You Congressman Tim Murphy @RepTimMurphy (PA18) for cosponsoring Access to Complex http://Rehab.Technology  Act of 2017 #MSactivist @johndplatt
3. Thank You Congressman Lou Barletta @RepLouBarletta (PA11) for cosponsoring HR 849 Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare by Repeal of IPAB
4. Thank You @CongressmanGT (PA5) for cosponsoring HR 849 Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare by Repeal of IPAB.
5. Thank You Congressman Glenn Thompson @CongressmanGT (PA 5) for cosponsoring Access to Complex http://Rehab.Technology  Act of 2017 #MSactivist @johndplatt

Healthcare Reforms and Cost

 

May 1, 2017 Dear Mr. Austin, Thank you for reaching out to me with your thoughts on healthcare reforms and insurance costs. I’ve long been advocating for reforms to the healthcare system and I appreciate the opportunity to share my efforts to reduce your healthcare costs and improve medical care delivery. As you know, Americans across the country have seen their healthcare premiums, taxes and medical fees skyrocket. That includes costly deductibles andinsurance “coverage” that doesn’t meet a patient’s medical needs. Plans are now focused on meeting insurance mandates, driving up the price of every insurance plan. Both insurance coverage and medical care is now far more expensive than need be. The bottom line is this: the laws need to be fixed because the system is completely unsustainable. Insurance rates keep climbing and now medical care is even further out of reach for the middle class. We can do better. But make no mistake, the American healthcare system was broken and expensive before the Affordable Care Act was ever signed into law. That’s why our new healthcare framework must put Americans back in charge of their health care under a system that delivers affordable care when needed, by a doctor of your choosing, at a price you can afford. No one will be left out and no one will be forced to have an expensive plan that doesn’t meet their needs.  I am confident we can fix the broken system and open up access to affordable coverage and not force a one-size-fits-all expensive plan designed from Washington mandates. Instead, we’ll promote quality measures, stop the Washington dictates and eliminate the $600 to $800 billion wasted annually that makes healthcare more expensive, but leaves patients no better off.   Thank you for sharing your ideas, thoughts and concerns. Based on feedback from constituents like you, and from healthcare professionals from across Southwestern Pennsylvania, I wrote on opinion piece recently published in the Washington Examiner titled “A Better Model for Healthcare in America” that you can read by clicking here.  It is an honor to represent you and all of Pennsylvania's Eighteenth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. To stay in touch with what I’m working on and get the latest updates from Washington and around Southwestern Pennsylvania, you can follow me on Twitter @RepTimMurphy. You can also find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RepTimMurphy or follow me on Medium at www.medium.com/@Tim.Murphy. I also encourage you to sign up for my weekly E-newsletter by visiting www.murphy.house.gov. Thank you for contacting me and I look forward to hearing from you again soon.  Sincerely, Tim Murphy Member of Congress