On Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a rally in Hollywood, Calif., in support of a proposition in the state that promises to lower prescription drug costs.
He argued that the high costs of prescription drugs are a moral issue and that the pharmaceutical industry is both corrupt and “extraordinarily greedy.”
“The highest prices in the world for prescription drugs” are in the U.S., said Sanders.
“What we are here to talk about today is not just a healthcare issue, not just an economic issue, but it is moral,” he argued. “It is whether or not people in this country should get sicker than they should get or even die because they don’t have enough money to pay the prices that the pharmaceutical industry is charging us.”
He went on to call the pharmaceutical industry “a major health hazard to the American people.”
“My understanding is the pharmaceutical industry is prepared to spend up to $100 million to defeat Proposition 61,” said Sanders. “Well, they could spend all of the money that they want. But the people understand that they are a bunch of crooks!”
“If you beat them here, we’re going to put them on the defensive … all across the country,” he said, drawing his remarks to a close.
Check out a clip from the rally below.
Proposition 61, or the California Drug Price Relief Act, prohibits the state from paying more for prescription drugs than the lower prices paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which proponents claim will drive down drug pricing and result in significant savings for California taxpayers.
Veterans vehemently oppose the measure, concerned that drug manufacturers would raise the prices for the VA – and therefore, their healthcare costs – to compensate for extending VA contract pricing to larger populations.