Congressman Pappas Holds Roundtable Discussion with New Hampshire Nurses to Discuss The Rising Costs Of Prescription Drugs
Manchester, N.H. – Today Congressman Chris Pappas gathered the New Hampshire Nursing Association, the New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association, and local nurses to discuss the rising cost of prescription drugs, workforce shortages, and other critical issues facing New Hampshire patients and health care providers.
"As the cost of prescription drugs continue to skyrocket, access to lifesaving care and treatment becomes further out of reach for far too many New Hampshire families," said Congressman Pappas. "While I work to increase access to affordable care for Granite Staters, hearing directly from our providers allows me to become a stronger advocate for them in Washington. It is long overdue that Congress takes action to drive down the cost of prescription drugs to give families some much needed relief."
"New Hampshire nurses are exceedingly fortunate to have Congressman Chris Pappas representing their interests, and those of our patients, in Washington," said Joan Wilderman, Nurse Executive Director of the New Hampshire Nurses Association. "We shared stories about how the high costs of prescription drugs are impacting our patients, families and friends. We also discussed important issues such as workplace violence, safe staffing and Title VIII funding reauthorization. Pappas is a strong advocate for the health care needs of New Hampshire citizens and for the nurses that care for them."
"Nurses and nurse practitioners from around the state appreciate Congressman Pappas's interest learning of the impact of the high cost of prescription drugs of the citizens of New Hampshire," said Jennifer Thompson, Executive Director of New Hampshire Nurse Practitioners Association. "We look forward to partnering with him to ensure that all patients have access to affordable medications."
Since entering office Congressman Pappas has remained relentless in advocating for the expansion of health care for New Hampshire families and driving down the cost of prescription drugs. Congressman Pappas has joined and advocated for five bills designed to address this issue. He supported a bill that would speed generics to market is the cosponsor of the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019, which requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. Last month, the House of Representatives passed a number of measures that would protect patients and promote generic competition including the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act, which included an amendment Congressman Pappas successfully attached to the bill that would require the Department of Health and Human Services to set enrollment targets to ensure they are tracking progress and deploying resources wisely. He spoke on the floor to introduce the amendment, which you can watch here.