February 12, 2004
The Honorable Dennis Moore
431 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Moore:
On behalf of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the largest and oldest organization of public health professionals in the nation, representing more than 50,000 members from over 50 public health occupations, I write in support H.R. 3707, the Medicare's Equitable Drugs for Seniors Act of 2004.
At it’s annual meeting in November, 2000, APHA adopted position paper 20006, “Making Medicines Affordable: the Price Factor.” This position paper recommends a number of methods for containing drug prices through public intervention, including allowing the federal government to act as a purchaser on behalf of a large pool of consumers and negotiate either the price of each product or, more simply, a uniform discount for all drugs. Your legislation would allow the federal government to enter into such negotiations and significantly reduce the costs of prescription drugs for our nation’s seniors. I am enclosing a copy of position paper 20006 for your review.
Thank you for your attention to this important public health issue. We look forward to working with you to move this legislation forward this year.
Sincerely,
Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP
Executive Director