GOP balks at Trump drug pricing plan

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

Republican opposition is building to a proposal from President Trump to lower drug prices in Medicare.

The rare break between Trump and Republican allies follows an aggressive step from the president in October that would tie certain Medicare drug prices to lower prices in other countries, a departure from the traditional GOP position.

A coalition of conservative groups, including Americans for Tax Reform and FreedomWorks, on Tuesday wrote a letter calling for the proposal to be withdrawn. And on Thursday, House GOP lawmakers questioned Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar about the move and aired their concerns in a private meeting.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is talking to other GOP senators about writing a letter to the administration sharing their concerns about the proposal.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/419217-gop-balks-at-trump-drug-pricing-plan

[Sneederbunk]

1. House Dems need to approve such a bill and force Senate to vote on it.

A Senate vote against it will be remembered in 2020.

[OnDoutside]

5. McConnell can stop it coming to the Senate floor ?

[atreides1]

7. Yes he can

And when he does, the Democrats can pin high drug prices to the Republicans in 2020!!!

[duforsure]

9. I agree

But they can also get enough republicans to threaten McConnell with this and other issues he refuses to bring up for a vote, and tell him they'll switch over to be a Democrat taking his majority position away from him if he refuses, then Democrats would have the Senate majority leader and bring up all issues he's refused to bring before the Senate for a vote on. There is enough republicans Senators that could consider this knowing their party is being destroyed , and will be replaced anyway. Where are you Schummer?

[sandensea]

10. The problem is that most GOP congresscritters are bought and paid for

One isn't as worried for one's party, when a $1 million+ salary as a Big Pharma lobbyist awaits.

[paleotn]

11. Easily.

[McCamy Taylor]

8. Agree

[KayF]

13. this will happen for sure

it was a major part of the campaign, which the Democrats won big.

[BobTheSubgenius]

23. And, apart from the political calculus...

...it's the right thing to do.

[Thunderbeast]

2. I wonder what Corey Booker will do...

[marylandblue]

4. He better say yes or he's done for 2020.

[Polybius]

15. He said no last time though

Hopefully he changes his mind.

[marylandblue]

17. He had specific reasons that made some sense for the other bill

This one is different. If he doesn't support this one, or come up with an alternatives, it will.show he really is in the pocket.of big pharma.

[Ohiogal]

3. God forbid we have price controls on drugs

like most other reasonable countries do.

[still_one]

6. I need to see the details of this. About a week ago they said the trump administration was

proposing a drug plan that would allow insurance companies the option not to cover certain drugs, which included drugs for depression and cancer, and for "Advantage Plans" require doctors to prescribe drugs based on a stepwise approach, not giving the doctors the option of prescribing the drug they thought would be the best first, until they went through the other stepwise drugs first, and demonstrated they failed

[mwooldri]

12. Me too.

One thing worries me about price controls... and that is supply. Drug manufacturers can decide not to make the medicine if they are only going to get $X from it. I would recommend a rate board and any new drug that comes to market has to set its price through the rate board and any increase beyond the rate of inflation has to go through the rate board.

There should also be other ways to ensure drug prices are kept reasonable. Maybe the same rate board can do patent waivers for certain drugs and medical equipment (e.g. EpiPen) so that other companies can make the drug until the patent holder complies with the rate boards decisions.

[still_one]

16. I agree with ya

[noneof_theabove]

14. ...concerns in a private meeting

ANOTHER FUCKIN PRIVATE MEETING THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH NATIONAL SECURITY.

The dems should rerun all the "private meeting" in an open setting.
Not that I believe in a "purjury trap" but I'll bet the conversations are different.

Vote Them All Out in [Next Cycle]

[Snellius]

18. Trump & Republicans: a winning team bound to lose

You forget sometimes that Republicans are dragging down Trump (infrastructure, the Wall, health reform) as much as poor-polls Trump is embarrassing baggage for Republicans. Local districts are easier to gerrymander than nations or states.

[Maxheader]

19. Does that mean the usofa price for symbicort ,

which is around 350$..Will go down to 135$, which is what I pay
for it coming from new zealand...?..

[Honeycombe8]

20. WHY NOT JUST REMOVE THE PROVISION IN MEDICARE THAT PROHIBITS NEGOTIATING PRICES?

Geez. What IS it about that provision that no politician will remove it? How much did Big Pharma pay for it?

All that needs to be done is to REMOVE the prohibition provision so that the fed govt, which handles the LARGEST group of insureds in the nation, can NEGOTIATE prices.

Tying SOME meds to prices in SOME other countries? All that means is that big pharma need only raise prices in that other country. DUH.

And what about all the other meds?

What this proposal is for: GETTING HIS APPROVAL RATING TO GO UP.

[stuffmatters]

22. Exactly!

[Tiggeroshii]

21. Fuckin astounding

Potentially treason: have his back till the end
Dehumanize immigrants and take a hard right on immigration policy: "yeah okay we can do that"
Lower drug prices for seniors: "absolutely not!"