McCaskill accuses drug companies of 'unbridled greed' in visit to Cape

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill blasted pharmaceutical companies for the high price of prescription drugs Wednesday and accused them of "unbridled greed."

McCaskill, D-Mo., focused on health care during a campaign stop in Cape Girardeau.

Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of about 50 people at the Laborers' Local 1104 office, McCaskill said the Republican-led Congress has failed to bring down the cost of health care for consumers, including the cost of medicine.

McCaskill said her office found the cost of the 20 most prescribed drugs for Medicare patients climbed annually over the last five years by 10 times the rate of inflation.

She accused pharmaceutical companies of having a "vice grip" on the political power in Washington, D.C.

Citizens of other nations pay lower prices for drugs because those countries negotiate with the drug companies to keep costs down.

The United States does not do that, she said.

Actions of the federal Food and Drug Administration also have contributed to the high cost of medicine in this nation, she said. The agency takes too long to approve competing drugs that could help drive down the price, McCaskill said.

The senator said Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, her Republican challenger in the November election, wants to eliminate the federal requirement insurance companies can't deny coverage on the basis of pre-existing conditions.

Hawley has said he supports efforts to assure coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.

But McCaskill said Hawley supports a Republican bill in Congress that would require companies to insure people with pre-existing conditions, but would allow insurers not to pay medical bills associated with those conditions.

She said Republicans and Democrats need to work together to find ways to bring down health care costs.

On another issue, McCaskill voiced support for Proposition B, a measure on the Nov. 6 ballot in Missouri that would raise the state minimum wage to $8.60 an hour with 85-cent-per-hour increases each year until 2023.

At that point, the minimum wage would stand at $12 per hour, according to the ballot measure.

"It is a fair and reasonable proposal," McCaskill said.

The incremental increase "wouldn't be a huge crush to small businesses," the senator said.

Working people want an increase in the minimum wage, she added.

She decried so-called "dark money" groups that spend large amounts of money on television ads promoting and attacking candidates in election races. Such groups don't have to display their donor lists.

"At a minimum, we should be disclosing who is paying for (political) commercials in Missouri," she said.

McCaskill urged the crowd to ignore all dark money ads, including those supporting her candidacy.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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