Members of Congress pressed forward with efforts to strike a deal enabling Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs
WASHINGTON—Lawmakers pressed forward with efforts to strike a deal enabling Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug costs, despite President Biden’s decision to leave the provision out of the framework forThe omission of any provision allowing Medicare to negotiate for the price of drugs unleashed intense concern from a range of lawmakers on Thursday, who said discussions over the topic were continuing with the goal of including a proposal in the bill’s final text.
The centrist Democratic proposal, led by Rep. Scott Peters , would allow Medicare to negotiate price concessions of 25% to 35% on drugs in Medicare’s Part B, which covers doctor visits and outpatient care. Their proposal would apply to drugs that don’t have competition on the market and aren’t protected by exclusivity, which is a period when a drug is protected from generic drug competition.
House Democrats had passed legislation in the Ways and Means Committee that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate over a wider range of drugs that don’t face competition, including in Part D. A senior Energy and Commerce Committee aide said the centrist proposal would apply to only a small pool of drugs and wouldn’t be able to pass the House, but also noted that the committee’s chairman, Rep. Frank Pallone didn’t believe the overall $1.
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