United States Sen. Rick Scott was in Fort Myers on Friday to talk about passing federal legislation to tackle the rising costs of pharmaceutical drugs.
The Naples Republican says Americans pay nearly double for the same drugs sold in European countries, and he says his bill, dubbed the Transparent Drug Act, would prevent pharmaceutical companies from charging American consumers more.
“We have a very high quality healthcare system, but it's got to be at a price that people can afford,” Scott said.
While Scott said he supports a free market, he said something needs to be done to help people that are choosing to go without life-saving treatment simply because they cannot afford it.
"The Transparent Drug Pricing Act takes real steps to lower costs for patients and puts consumers back in charge of healthcare decisions," Scott said.
The bill would also require pharmacies to let consumers know how much medication would cost up front with both co-payments and out-of-pocket prices and would require insurance companies to let consumers know about deductible changes to their policy 60 days prior to open enrollment in order to allow consumers to shop around for affordable options.
Scott said he has begun talking to fellow senators about supporting the act.
Following the press conference Scott held at the Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, he will be joining President Donald Trump by Lake Okeechobee to talk about Everglades restoration this afternoon.
