Moderates balk at Medicare drug price negotiation authority pursued by Dems in .5T package
Fissures among
Democratic Reps.
Peters and Schrader outlined their own legislation that creates a yearly out-of-pocket cap on drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. It would include negotiation power for Medicare but would be much more limited. The legislation also includes a
Under their legislation, Medicare would only be able to negotiate drug prices for certain products in Medicare Part B that don’t have exclusivity and have no market competition.
The Energy and Commerce legislation also would allow the
Technically,
But the hesitancy among moderates could cause major headaches for Democratic leadership that have narrow majorities in the
Centrists in the House aren't the only lawmakers expressing reluctance at a widespread drug price negotiation authority.
Sen.
“My goal is to reduce the costs of prescription drugs to the consumer. Not just to the government,” he told reporters Tuesday. “How does that end up being better for the consumer? I haven’t seen how that negotiation actually does this.”
Sen.
“We are working on it every day and I can tell you that the challenge in the
But Wyden was heartened by remarks President
“I think that helps drive it along,” Wyden said.
Wyden told reporters the committee hasn’t announced it is looking at any other pay-fors yet. He also did not say when a deal would be reached on the package.
What else is in the package?
In addition to the drug price reforms, Energy and Commerce advanced several other healthcare priorities including:
- Creating a program resembling Medicaid to offer coverage to residents in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The program would offer the same benefits as Medicaid and would start in 2025.
- Extending enhanced subsidies for ACA coverage through 2024. The American Rescue Plan Act boosted subsidies but only through the 2022 coverage year.
- Creating a new fund that gives states
$10 billion a year to set up a state reinsurance program to help lower ACA premiums.
The legislation will now head to the
HHS: ACA exchange enrollment reaches 12.2M thanks to enhanced subsidies
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