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00:00:00
Speaker 1: Former Congressman Newsmax host all round Smart Guy JD. Hayworth, who has now continued to be smart and now works for an organization who is working very diligently to let's just say, bring the drug companies into some kind of perspective or reality. They're the Pharmaceutical Reform Alliance.
00:00:19
Speaker 2: JD.
00:00:19
Speaker 1: Hayworth. Welcome to the show.
00:00:23
Speaker 2: Hey, Mandy, it is huge. It's great to be with you on the legendary KOA. Thanks for the invitation.
00:00:29
Speaker 1: Well, let's jump right in. Because drug prices are one of the reasons that healthcare costs are so high. They are linked, and they are so distorted in a way that most people don't understand. I want you to start by explaining to the audience what the most Favored Nation status when it comes to drug prices actually is.
00:00:55
Speaker 2: Well, we're going to step back here for a second. Give some credit to President Trump. I can't spell Trump without tr and this move is kind of like Theodore Roosevelt many because what he's done. In the old days when I was on the Ways and Means Committee, the most Favored Nation status designation was for trade with foreign nations. For example, they want to do a big deal with the chi cooms. I was one of the few guys who said, forget about but I digress what the President has done with this. He said, hey, let's make the United States the most favored nation when it comes to drug pricing. Let's make sure that American prices go down to the level we're seeing elsewhere in the world. And instead of Americans last where we're paying on average three times what the rest of the world is paying for prescription drugs. Let's put America first. We've heard that before, so that's really what we're talking about here.
00:01:54
Speaker 1: So but the difference is that we pay in the United States of America. This is one of the things I've said for many, many years. We don't just subsidize Europe by paying for their military. We subsidize Europe by paying for healthcare advancements and medications. Because the cost differences that you guys put on your website blew my mind this morning, and I already knew it was bad. Let me give some of those very quickly. I looked at golp ones. In the United States of America, they are nine hundred and thirty six bucks per month on average. In Canada they are one hundred and forty seven dollars. In the UK they are ninety three dollars per month, Germany one oh three, France eighty three dollars. That's absurd and it's infuriating.
00:02:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, and when you stop and think about it, now, the big pharma guys say, oh, we do all this research and development. Hang on Americans with their tax dollars through National Institutes of Health, We're paying for a lot of federally subsidized research and development. So the American people are paying out of both pockets in terms of high prices and in terms of what they pay on their tax bills right now. But you know what great minds think of, like Mandy, because that point you made about the post war scenario where we've been basically subsidizing Western Europe with NATO and everything. Doctor Oz made that point. Gosh, I guess last summer on Face the Nation, maybe it's just a coincidence. Last night he shows up on the CBS Evening News. He says most Favored nation status would realize six hundred billion dollars in savings over the next decade. Others have broken this down. Other studies say one hundred and eighty billion dollars a year now, coming from the last guy to serve in Congress when we balanced the budget, the class of ninety four with Newt Gingrich, John Kaiseik, all those guys and some guts up people who made tough decisions. If you want to be cost conscious, both for the American people and for trying to restore some sanity to the market in terms of having competition, in terms of getting out of these market distortions, the first step we need is most favor Nation status. And you mentioned the website BARMA Reform Alliance dot com. Barma Reformalliance dot com. Right at the upper on the upper standard there. When you go to it, it's got a little line saying sign MFN petition. But you know you were lamenting Mandy earlier, the huge debt. Some other numbers ought to get the attention of everybody serving right now on Capitol Hill, mainly this This is the one issue that is not polarized. It's an American issue. It's not Republican, it's not democrat, is not independent, libertarian, vegetarian. Everybody is on the same page about this. Listen to the numbers supporting most Favored Nation status ninety one percent Republicans, seventy percent of Independence, and sixty four percent of Democrats. Now what you got going on on Capitol Hills a whole lot of lobbying, three lobbyists for every member of Congress. But in the final analysis, especially as we're heading into the midterms, there's a choice. I don't care what party you're from. There's a choice. Are you going to listen to your constituents or are you going to listen to K Street? And I think still members in terms of surviving and wanting wanting to continue to serve in Congress, will wake up and get the message that's what we're trying to do at Farmer Reformalliance dot com.
00:05:44
Speaker 1: Well, JD, here's the thing. And I could never be a politician because I'm far too blunt and I'm not enough of a baby kisser and I don't like people generally. But if I were running for office, I would love to be able to go back to potential voters and say I just put my name in the yes column of a bill that is actually going to lower your drug prices. I'm not promising to do it, I already did it. We made this happen, and you will see lower drug prices because of it. I don't care what party you are. That is a winning message with Americans. So from a political perspective, I realize there's a lot of pharmaceutical dollars out there. I get it. It's one of my biggest frustrations. But as a winning message for voters right now, in this moment when people can't pay their bills, I don't see how it's not a winning message for anyone from any side of the aisle.
00:06:34
Speaker 2: Well, it gets to be a situation. And I've been in these party conferences and the big well keep your powder dry. There's going to come a critical point where both the House Republican Conference and the House Democrat Caucus and their opposite numbers of the Senator are going to say, wait a minute. Well, you typically incumbent say hey, look I'm a good member. You may hate Congress's institution, but I'm getting it done for you. Well, wait a minute. The toxicity, about the frustration and the polarization, this is the one issue. And the great thing is those listening to our conversation today can check it out. Pharma Reform Alliance dot com, sign the MFN petition and in the upcoming district work period. Make sure you get to the town halls of your number of Congress and the United States Senators and say, hey, what about getting this done?
00:07:32
Speaker 1: Jadie, I just got one more question, and I want to address it one more time because we only have a couple of minutes left. But very quickly, What again does favorite nation status mean? And it's favored nation status? What does that mean? It's a trade term.
00:07:46
Speaker 2: Well, it has been used in trade and it's been used for other countries in the past. President Trump, and there's an executive order in place right now, but as we know, chief executives come and go. So that's why it's important for Congress to put this into law, to codify this into law. And it means what it says, most favor nation status, this time for the United States of America, putting Americans first when it comes to lowering drug prices instead of what we've seen basically the post war model, the so called packs Americana, which has really been pill jar Americana where we've been subsidizing the rest of the world.
00:08:31
Speaker 1: Jadaworth is with the pharma form wait a minute, to try that again. Farmer Reform Alliance and I put a link to their website on the blog today at mandyblog dot com, and I urge you to go to their website. Do two things. Number One, sign the petition on HR thirty four to ninety three that is most favored nation drug pricing. That's the law. And also take a moment to just tool around and educate yourself to see how badly we are getting ripped off in the United States of America.
00:09:00
Speaker 2: JD.
00:09:00
Speaker 1: Hayworth, I appreciate your time today and for what you're doing to try and save Americans money.
00:09:05
Speaker 2: Hey, thanks, have me back real soon. Making all right.
00:09:08
Speaker 1: Thanks Jad