'Why should we pay more?' Sen. Rick Scott's bill would limit prescription drug prices

Saying that Americans deserve good health care "at a price they can afford," U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Naples, announced Friday that he's filing legislation to limit the price of prescription drugs.

In a news conference at Southwest Florida International Airport, Scott said his bill would limit the price of prescription drugs to the prices the drug companies charge in other industrialized countries.

"Drug companies charge Americans higher prices for the same drugs that they charge consumers in other countries," Scott said. "That's wrong, why should we pay more?"

Previously:Sen. Rick Scott to visit Fort Myers Friday

Scott walked a middle ground between the conservative Republican, anti-regulation stances that marked his tenure as Florida's governor and a call for a federal law that would restrict prices private companies can charge.

"I am a strong believer in the free market," Scott said. "Americans, young people and many of our seniors are facing a crisis of not being able to afford their drugs."

He joined his call for government price controls on prescription drugs with criticism of the Affordable Care Act signed by President Barack Obama nearly nine years ago.

"I think it's pretty obvious now that Obamacare did not drive down health care costs, it drove up health care costs,"  Scott said. 

However, Scott said he would retain one of the hallmarks of Obamacare and "absolutely" supports including mandatory coverage of pre-existing conditions in any replacement legislation.

The measure filed by Scott also includes provisions he said were intended to improve transparency over the price ultimately paid for prescription drugs.

He would require pharmaceutical companies to publicly list prescription prices 60 days before open enrollment for health insurance and freeze the prices and co-payments for 12 months.

The bill also requires pharmacies to give customers a quote for out-of-pocket payment for drugs, which Scott says is "often cheaper" than prices billed insurance companies.

A patient would be allowed to apply the full price of out-of-pocket purchases toward a health insurance deductible. 

"You can have all these drugs, but it doesn't do any good if you can't afford it," Scott said. 

In his third month as a member of the Senate, Scott recalled the difficulties that his mother had in traveling four hours to a charity hospital to treat a "significant disease" afflicting his brother.

Scott takes a prescription drug for allergies, but said the cost of his medication has not increased in recent years. He introduced three young people from Southwest Florida who face steep price increases for medications such as insulin to control diabetes.

"Right now the cost of insulin is very expensive and each year it starts to go up more and more," said Sabina Rivera, 12, of Naples.  "When I become an adult, I will have to pay for my own, it's going to cost more that it does now and I'll have to pay for that in my first job."

Scott said he has not yet gotten any formal pushback from the drug industry on his bill, saying it is only now being filed, but said he had conversations with stakeholders.

Scott said he has spoken with members of the Senate and groups, including representatives of drug makers and pharmacies that distribute prescription drugs, as well as insurers and hospitals.

"All of them say 'how are you going to to this,' we've got to all come together to figure this out," Scott said. "The best way to do it is to figure out a better delivery system."

The future of the Affordable Care Act is tied to a pending appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in Texas that it is unconstitutional. Several states have appealed the ruling. 

The Justice Department traditionally defends federal laws that are struck down, but Solicitor General Noel Francisco filed papers with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal saying the federal government would not support the pending appeal.

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