Coalition Against Socialized Medicine Statement on Biden’s Proclaimed “Victory:” Coercing Drugmakers to Participate in the IRA’s Liberal Price Control Scheme

ALEXANDRIA, VA, October 4, 2023 – The Coalition Against Socialized Medicine (CASM), a broad coalition of leading conservative groups such as the Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC), Heritage Action, FreedomWorks, the National Taxpayers Union, Club for Growth, Citizens Against Government Waste, American Commitment, and the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, has issued the following statement on the Biden-Harris administration press release proclaiming the “success” of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, in which all selected drugmakers have agreed to participate. This statement is attributable to Jack Kalavritinos, CPAC’s Executive Director, Coalition Against Socialized Medicine.

“On Tuesday, the Biden-Harris administration proclaimed a victory after all ten selected pharmaceutical manufacturers agreed to participate in the Medicare drug price negotiation program. In reality, these companies have faced unending coercion by the federal government, which threatened to impose onerous excise taxes or remove their drugs from the Medicare program entirely to ensure compliance with the imposition of collectivist price controls. This self-proclaimed victory from the White House represents another nail in the coffin from the Left for patients relying on the development of new treatments.

“The rules of basic economics highlight the dire consequences price controls have on supply and demand. In the case of critical medications, we cannot allow the government to rob patients of breakthrough cures and treatments.”