It pains me to say this but American medical innovation is in jeopardy!

Right now, in our nation’s capital there is a scheme being pushed by malevolent forces of the swamp that would handcuff our medical research & development. Some globalist advocates in the White House are trying to lead President Trump astray by proposing a drug pricing plan called International Price Indexing (IPI).

In this plan, the law would be changed to where our drugs are priced based on other countries’ prices. Now you might say “That doesn’t sound too bad. There should be competition on prices!”

Yes, we absolutely do need competition on prices but IPI is far from competition. At its core, IPI is socialist price fixing. It forces our businesses to conform to what’s happening in international markets in a completely arbitrary fashion. Having worked as a nurse my whole career, I know that doesn’t translate well to the American patient. We need innovators to innovate and save patients and our families lives.

This plan reduces the profit motive for our drug companies and thus reduces their incentive to research new medications.

It’s simple – if a company can’t foresee being able to profit from a new project, they won’t do it. Not to mention the amount of R&D done in the medical industry that leads to no marketable product.

IPI is like asking some of our best and brightest companies to play the lottery over and over but never allowing them to win. It’s a lose lose for everyone involved.

Companies lose because they lose business and patients lose because development of life saving medications comes to a halt.

During my career as a nurse, I saw the true life changing impact that medications can have on patients lives. Drugs can do great things for people. They save lives, take away pain, and make living easier for countless Americans.

Without an economy that works for both the patients and businesses, there would be no new miracle drugs.  Insulin, cancer treatments, and even the coronavirus vaccine being developed as we speak are all products of vibrant american medical innovation. Medical professionals of all kinds can attest to the importance of new medications. Those of us who’ve worked in the healthcare field know that medicine will not advance without our innovators being allowed to innovate!

I’m a big Trump supporter but I cannot go for this plan. I think that the swamp has infiltrated the White House and that we need to speak up! We The People can beat these career bureaucrats if we make our voices heard.

Please join me in telling President Trump to change his mind on IPI!

Lu Jones, RN
Monroe, LA