The favorable political landscape can yield real progress against drug prices, if lawmakers can find common ground on commonsense strategies.(Photo: Shutterstock)
This year's prescription-drug price hikes may have been a bit less exorbitant than in years past. But they were plenty high enough to hurt American patients — and strengthen resolve in Washington to push back.
“The list price increases must stop,” was the response from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. “Prices must start coming down.”
So far, the Trump administration hasn't made much headway against drug prices, but a new Congress is poised to help. It's not just that Democrats have retaken control of the House of Representatives; it's also that many Republicans have decided to act. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he'll allow the issue on to the Senate agenda this year, and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, the new chairman of the Finance Committee, has endorsed specific measures to increase competition.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking benefits news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
