-President Trump claimed he would be able to fix an issue
that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on --
the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs.
But while one party has a plan, the other party --
well, they have Trump.
For more, this is "The Check-in."
[ Applause ]
[ Bell dings ]
For years, prescription drug prices in this country
have been soaring, largely because our government,
for the most part, does not negotiate
the price of medication. That means
pharmaceutical companies can charge whatever they want.
Things have gotten so bad that some Americans are forced
to go abroad to get lifesaving medication, like insulin.
And one of those destinations abroad is fairly ironic.
-Robin is headed to the Mexican border,
where we meet a group that saw her post on Instagram
about insulin in Tijuana costing a fraction of what it does
in the U.S., -Just across the border.
you're just typing "pharmacy" into Google Maps,
and then off we go? -And then off we go.
-They've decide it's worth the risk
to go to one of Mexico's most dangerous cities
as insulin prices in the U.S.
have more than doubled in recent years.
-So, that's where we are, as a country, right now.
Trump is trying to build a wall
to prevent outsiders from coming in,
while Americans are forced to cross the border into Mexico
just to get affordable medication.
So, hey, if Mexico won't pay for the wall,
maybe Pfizer will. [ Laughter ]
Now, several... [ Cheers and applause ]
Several prominent Democrats, like Senator Bernie Sanders,
have been introducing legislation
that would cut prescription drug prices
by allowing Medicare to negotiate directly
with pharmaceutical companies.
Sanders was asked about his plans to reduce costs
at a town hall yesterday. -How do you plan to ensure
the cost of medications, like insulin,
won't continue to rise, now "people over profit"
will, hopefully, become the norm in this country?
-Oh, you're asking me a question
that I have worked on for a long, long time.
[ Laughter and applause ] -Yes, sir.
-Don't get me going. -You know, I...
[ Laughter ]
-I like how even Bernie Sanders knows
not to get him going on healthcare.
I'm sure, at every dinner party he's invited to,
the host says to the other guests,
"Bernie is coming,
[Whispering] so don't mention healthcare."
[ Laughter ] Now, part of the reason
Democrats have to keep reintroducing legislation
to lower drug costs is because President Trump
still hasn't fulfilled his promises on this issue.
Just last year, he stood in the Rose Garden,
surrounded by cabinet members and Republican lawmakers,
and vowed to lower costs by going after those
who have personally benefited from higher drug prices.
-We're going to take on
one of the biggest obstacles to affordable medicine --
The tangled web of special interests.
Not too many are sitting here today,
but they used to be here all the time.
-A nice sentiment, but, unfortunately,
most of the people there do take massive campaign donations
from pharmaceutical companies.
They are the special interests.
Are you having trouble seeing them?
If so, maybe it's time you asked your doctor about Lotemax.
[ Laughter ] Lotemax --
so you can clearly see that you're full of [Bleep].
[ Laughter ] By the way --
[ Cheers and applause ]
By the way, are you full of [Bleep]?
If so, ask your doctor about Dulcolax.
[ Laughter ]
Now, to be fair, politicians in both parties
have willingly taken money from drug companies for years.
But now Trump is in charge, and mere months
after his announcement about reducing drug costs,
he boldly proclaimed that he had succeeded.
-Every day is, "Promises made, promises kept."
[ Cheers and applause ] We've taken bold action
to reduce the price of prescription drugs.
We're reducing the price. [ Crowd cheers ]
You know, I called up Pfizer
and some of the great drug companies --
they're great companies -- Novartis, a couple of others --
about a month ago,
because they raised the price of their drugs.
And I called, I said, "What are you doing?!
You can't do that!"
And they said, "Sir, we will immediately
drop the price down to where it was."
Can you believe that? Can you believe it?
-No. [ Laughter ]
No, we can't believe it, because you're doing that thing again
where you describe being President
the way you want it to be,
instead of the way it actually is.
[ As Trump ] I called up Pfizer and said, "Lower your prices,"
and they said, "Right away, sir."
And then I hung up the phone and looked out the window
right as a gust of wind blew the top off a hot lady.
[ Laughter ]
This job rules.
[ Normal voice ] And not only does Trump think
he can just call up drug companies
and single-handedly tell them what to do,
he also complained he isn't getting any credit for it.
-Might as well talk about yourself,
'cause nobody else is going to. [ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ] Nobody else is going to!
[ Louder cheers and applause ]
Nobody else.
-I'm sorry, do you really think
people aren't talking about you enough?
[ Laughter ]
The only people not talking about you
Are those undiscovered tribes in the Amazon.
And even they feel something eerie in the wind.
You guys, I feel like we should go deeper into the rainforest.
This is just a hunch. It's just a hunch.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And before Trump's proposal even went into effect,
he was already telling his supporters
That drug costs were decreasing.
-We signed a bill,
prescription drug prices are going to come tumbling down.
[ Cheers and applause ] Tumbling down.
So, hopefully, you don't need prescription drugs,
but if you do, you're gonna get them
a hell of a lot cheaper, because it's going this way.
-That's the president's finger telling you
that prices are going down, or maybe that you can get
the same drugs much cheaper in Mexico.
But who? Who are you gonna believe,
the president's finger or the facts?
-Bitter pills this new year
for Americans taking prescription drugs.
60 companies raised prices on almost 300 drugs
in the first two days of the year.
-The first two days! They couldn't even wait a week.
That's how little shame these drug companies have
and how little regard they have for our President.
[ As Trump ] I called them up and I said, "Lower your prices."
And they said, "New phone. Who dis?"
And then I looked out the window
just after a gust of wind blew a turtleneck onto a hot lady.
[ Laughter ]
[ Normal voice ] Now, during his State of the Union Address,
Trump also mentioned that people in other countries
pay much less for prescription drugs
than Americans, and he's right. But judging by how
at least one powerful senator reacted to that,
we probably shouldn't expect to see much change on that front
from Republicans, either.
-I am asking Congress to pass legislation
that finally takes on the problem of global freeloading
and delivers fairness and price transparency
for American patients, finally.
[ Applause ]
-Look how sad Mitch McConnell is.
[ Laughter ]
Looks like he just found out who won the Civil War.
[ Laughter ]
[ As McConnell ] Who? Aw.
Was it close?
[ Laughter ]
[ Normal voice ] But I guess we shouldn't be surprised
that McConnell had that reaction,
because in 2018 alone,
he racked up almost $1 million from the insurance industry
and over half a million dollars
from the pharmaceutical and health-products industry.
And that's why, when someone promises
to lower the cost of drugs, even if they're lying,
the truth is that your senator can't even smile.
[ Applause ]
This has been "The Check-in."
[ Cheers and applause ]