Caitlin Owens, Jonathan Swan November 24,
2019
The Trump
administration is pushing for a monthly cap on what seniors pay out-of-pocket
for drugs through Medicare's pharmacy benefit to be added to a bipartisan
drug pricing bill in the Senate, a senior administration official told Axios.
The big
picture: The cost of prescription drugs is still a top priority of the
administration, even amidst all of the impeachment furor — and the president
could very much use a big win on the subject heading into the 2020 election.
- Most
of the administration's major drug pricing policies have been tabled, are
tied up in the courts or have yet to be implemented.
Between the
lines: One unexpected side effect of impeachment is that it has
dragged drug prices to the front of Trump's mind again, the official said.
- Trump
has been talking and meeting frequently with Republican lawmakers as part
of his impeachment defense strategy.
- But,
the official said, after the members discuss impeachment for a brief while
with the president they usually pivot quickly and use their time with
Trump to push their priorities.
- For
many of these members of Congress, lowering drug prices is one of the most
urgent demands they hear from their constituents. They want to be able to
run on this issue in 2020 and they're urging Trump to lean on Senate
Republicans to pass a bill.
- Trump
would not support Nancy Pelosi's bill, so the only chance is the bill
sponsored by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the
official said.
Details: The
Grassley-Wyden bill currently caps enrollee cost-sharing in Part D at $3,100 a
year beginning in 2022. The official said the administration is working with
members to spread that cap out on a monthly basis.
- "Some
seniors may max out in January, and that’s a big hit. And rather than have
them spend that [on a] credit card and be in debt for 12 months or even
longer ... they could stagger that, and it would be a great benefit for
them," the official said.
- Grassley
hinted
at these changes last week, saying that the updated version of the bill
"will improve the out-of-pocket cap by giving seniors and Americans
with disabilities more flexibility when it comes to upfront costs."
No comments:
Post a Comment