GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow is pushing a new plan for prescription drugs.
It's a package of three bills that Michigan's senior senator, a Democrat, says would save money and bring about some fairness in the market.
"It's the biggest driver on the increase of health care," Stabenow said of prescription costs. "You talk to any hospital CEO, if you talk to doctors, if you talk to pharmacist, this is the biggest thing that they can't control in terms of their costs and it's driving up everything and it's getting worse rather than better. And what's frustrating to me is that we as taxpayers invest in the research, basic research through the National Institute of Health. All good, we do all the basic research. The companies take that then add to it. They can write off their research and then they develop medications and so forth, but there's no sense of responsibility, since this is a partnership with the taxpayers, to make sure the prices are affordable."