Joyce Condemns Democrats For Wasting Taxpayer Time And Resources With Mirage Health Care Bill

Congressman John Joyce (PA-13) today released the following statement after opposing a Democratic bill that claims to protect pre-existing conditions despite the reality that it does nothing of the sort:

andldquo;As an outsider who has never held public office prior to this year, it has always been my view that Washington is dysfunctional, and nothing better illustrates that point than the latest shenanigans House Democrats attempted today by putting forward a health care bill with a name that has nothing to do with its contents. The so-called andlsquo;Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act' is simply a mirage that does nothing to make health care more affordable and accessible to the American people. Instead, this legislation would only weaken the Section 1332 waivers that states use to provide cheaper and more innovative health care options to patients. Reforming waivers that do not even limit coverage for those with pre-existing conditions in the first place is a waste of taxpayer time and resources, and Democrats should be ashamed they are opting to play political games rather than bringing to the floor reforms that will actually fix our broken health care system.andrdquo;

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While Democrats claim that the Trump administration's new guidance regarding the implementation of Section 1332 waivers will impact coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, that assertion was proven to be wrong this week. Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare andamp; Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Vermawrote a letter to Congress on May 7^th explaining that the new guidance being offered on Section 1332 waivers andldquo;does nothing to erode the PPACA's pre-existing condition provisions. which cannot be waived under section 1332.andrdquo;

Verma continued, andldquo;Section 1332 does not permit states to waive Public Health Service Act requirements such as guaranteed availability and renewability of health insurance, the prohibition on using health status to vary premiums, and the prohibition on pre-existing conditions exclusions. Furthermore, a section 1332 waiver cannot be approved that might otherwise undermine these requirements. This Administration stands committed to protecting people with pre-existing conditions.andrdquo;

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After condemning the Democrats for putting forward their mirage health care bill, Joyce urged the House to work together on realistic, bipartisan reforms such as the legislation he recently authored to lower the costs of prescription drugs.

Joyce added, andldquo;There are plenty of common sense health care initiatives moving through Congress that would serve the American people well, but we just do not get the opportunity to vote on them. The Ensuring Timely Access to Generics Act has bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, and would make health care more affordable for patients across the country. Instead of spending time on political stunts, both parties should honor their campaign promises to lower prescription drug costs and bring that bill to the floor for a vote as soon as possible.andrdquo;

Last week Joyce introduced bipartisan legislation to make generic medicine more quickly accessible to consumers. He teamed up on the Ensuring Timely Access to Generics Act of 2019 with Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) and the companion version of the bill was introduced in the Senate earlier this April by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

The legislation provides direction to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) on how to curb the amount of unnecessary citizens petitions, which are tactics brand drug manufacturers often use in order to delay generic medications from accessing the market. If the legislation becomes law, the FDA will gain the authority to deny citizens petitions if they deem their primary purpose is a way to delay the approval of a drug's transition to the generic marketplace.

As reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, while generic drug prices fell between 2008 and 2016, branded prescription drugs nearly tripled. Therefore, making generic medications more readily available will drastically decrease the overall cost of prescription drugs.

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