Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) voted in favor of H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, an omnibus bill of health care measures that passed the House today.

“Today we took action to reduce prescription drug and health care costs, while strengthening the ACA,” said Phillips. “We’re making health care more affordable and accessible for Minnesotans and people across the country. This bill is just common sense – it makes government work better and saves everyone money in the process.”

The price of prescription drugs continues to grow rapidly. 24 percent of Americans didn’t fill a prescription in the past year, and 19 percent of Americans said they skipped a dose or cut pills in half, all due to high costs

H.R. 987 packages together a group of bills into an omnibus that would lower the price of prescription drugs and reduce the Federal deficit in the following ways:

• The BLOCKING Act allows generic drugs to enter the market earlier.

• The Protecting Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 makes it illegal for drug companies to pay generic manufacturers to delay bringing generics to market.

• The CREATES Act allows generic manufacturers earlier access to brand-name drug samples for testing.

• H.R. 1010 rescinds the Trump Administration’s rule promoting junk insurance plans – short-term insurance plans that deny basic benefits and discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.

Together, these measures would create $13.8 billion in savings for the Federal government that the bill reinvests into strengthening the Affordable Care Act – by encouraging enrollment and empowering states to follow Minnesota’s lead in developing a strong and accessible state insurance marketplace.