Abby Finkenauer keeps campaign promises

U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer was elected to the House to represent Iowans' best interests and she is doing just that. Whether it is small businesses, trade or health care, Abby's votes reflect what is needed to help Iowans from across her district.

One campaign promise the Senate Republicans continue to toss around is lowering drug costs. House Democrats introduced HR 3 titled Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 and passed the bipartisan bill. Not only does this bill lower drug costs, it also allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

The USMCA was another bill Finkenauer and the Democrats helped improve. There was a section that allowed big pharma to control the pricing of biosimilar drugs for at least 10 years. What that means is that generic drugs cannot be offered into the market. And, USMCA won't allow Canada or Mexico to have lower drug prices either. Granting exclusivity essentially gives a pharmaceutical company monopoly rights that free the firm from competition and allows it to charge higher prices than it would under competitive conditions. Democrats fought to have this removed.

It's nice to see a politician working for their constituents and keeping campaign promises. The Senate needs to pass HR3 and keep their promise to lower drug prices.

Sharon Poplawski

Cedar Rapids