Democrats in the Senate attempted to overrule a vote by the parliamentarian and raise insulin caps, but they fell short. The proposal needed 60 votes out of 100, and they only managed to get 53.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the ranking member of the Budget Committee, objected to senator Warnock’s proposal for regulating insulin prices because it sets prices in the commercial market, so it can’t pass with a simple majority vote.
Senate Democrats demanded a vote of procedural objection to put Republicans on record, including the most vulnerable members of the Republican party. Ron Johnson, Senator of Wisconsin was voted on in favor with Democratic senators.
There was a vote that was successful in the Senate, with 57 senators voting yes and 43 voting no.
“We’re going to force them to vote no and put them on the record,” said one Democratic senator before the vote, explaining the political strategy ahead of a vote lawmakers knew ahead of time was going to fail.
All 43 “No” Votes Came from Republicans
The vote was uncommon because the majority party rarely insists on a vote to overrule the parliamentarian’s decision on whether a legislative proposal is protected by the special budgetary rules that allow it to pass with a simple-majority.
Senate Health Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said colleagues who voted to override the parliamentarian would allow “people to get insulin at $35 a month.”
“Thirty-seven million people in our country have diabetes, and it’s absolutely wrong that many of them cannot afford the insulin they need to live,” she said. “I’ve heard from people in my state who risk their life and ration insulin to make ends meet, all the while drug companies are jacking up prices.”
“The cost of insulin has tripled over the last decade,” she said.
Democrats won some ground in this debate, because the parliamentarian allowed for a $35 insulin cap for Medicare beneficiaries. This could lead to lower prices in the private market.
A Democratic aide called the cap on insulin for people with Medicare a big deal.
1 out of every 3 Medicare beneficiaries has diabetes and 3.3 million Medicare beneficiaries take insulin.
John Thune (R-S.D) said that Democrats knew before the vote that the parliamentarian ruled a cap on insulin prices in the private market a violation of Senate rules.
He said, “They all voted for it, but then they wanted us to, I guess, overturn the proposal. And the parliamentarian told them this was going on.”
He stated the vote was an impediment to the Senate enforcing their policies. He also said that they were diminishing the rules of how bills are passed.
“There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it.” He says, “They want to get that vote, there’s plenty of ways they can get that vote but doing it this way was the wrong way to do it.”
Warnock pushed back on Thune’s remarks, telling The Hill ahead of the vote that the blame would fall on Republicans if a major portion of the insulin cap fell out of the bill.
“The parliamentarians’ rules are not self-enforced,” Warnock said. “So, only when we don’t do what 20 other states have already done, many of them red states, is if folks here decide to put politics in front of the people.”
“We can get this done and if it doesn’t get done, it’s on them,” he said.
Following an amendment, one measure put forth in the bill to lower drug prices has been struck down. If a drug company raises prices more than the rate of inflation, they will be targeted and held accountable.
