 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Trump admin touts Medicare drug savings |
The Trump administration unveiled new lower Medicare prices for 15 drugs that were part of the latest round of the program's price negotiations, touting a total of $12 billion saved compared to last year's spending. |
The administration celebrated the savings and made sure to note it achieved better results than the Biden White House last year.
"Using the same process with a bolder direction, we have achieved substantially better outcomes for taxpayers and seniors in the Medicare Part D program — not the modest or even counterproductive 'deals' we saw before," CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said in a statement.
"This is what serious, fair, and disciplined negotiation looks like," said Medicare Director Chris Klomp.
Democratic lawmakers made sure to note they should be getting the credit for taking on the drug industry in the first place.
"Democrats took on Big Pharma by giving Medicare the power to negotiate on behalf of the tens of millions of seniors that want lower drug prices while every Republican voted against it," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement Tuesday. "Today's announcement is a result of that effort by Democrats to lower health costs for older Americans."
The Trump administration's endorsement of the program created by Democrats and the Biden administration stands in stark contrast to the antipathy Republican lawmakers have towards it. The program was created as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed Congress with no Republican support.
GOP lawmakers echoed the drug industry's arguments that price negotiation would keep lifesaving drugs from the market and force companies to abandon innovation. The White House in a statement Tuesday said the negotiations would bring "meaningful relief to millions of Americans."
Still, the announcement came in a press release around 6 p.m. EST on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. While Trump has been eager to hold Oval Office events for his "most favored nation" deals, there was no presidential engagement this time.
Raymond James analyst Chris Meekins, a health official in the first Trump administration, wrote in an investor note that it was a signal the deals weren't as significant as they could have been.
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Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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The Environmental Working Group is criticizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency abruptly withdrew a proposed rule meant to prevent asbestos contamination in talc-based cosmetic products. The Biden-era regulation would have required standardized screening methods to ensure talc used in cosmetics is asbestos-free. The FDA withdrew the proposal just days into the holiday season, sparking immediate concern … |
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The Trump administration late Tuesday announced new lower Medicare prices for 15 drugs that were part of the latest round of the program’s price negotiations, touting a total of $12 billion saved compared to last year's spending. The medications include widely used cancer and diabetes drugs, inhalers, and GLP-1 medications Ozempic and Wegovy — the drugs Medicare spends the most … |
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he wants airlines to change what he calls “crap” snack options for healthier options that aren’t loaded with butter and sugar. “I would love some better snacks. I would love a little healthier snack on the airplane,” Duffy told Blaze News in an interview posted Tuesday, adding things might be better “if I didn’t get the really … |
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Branch out with a different read: |
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Trump says he'd 'rather not' extend Affordable Care Act subsidies |
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — President Trump on Tuesday said he would prefer not to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year, but he acknowledged it may be necessary to reach an agreement on health care legislation. Trump, in response to a question from The Hill, told reporters his preference was to pass legislation that gave money directly to Americans to allow them to purchase their own … |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- South Carolina's measles outbreak shows chilling effect of vaccine misinformation (KFF Health News)
- Third unvaccinated Kentucky baby dies of whooping cough (Kentucky Lantern)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Major health insurers like Humana, UnitedHealth are cutting broker commissions to avoid costly Medicare enrollees (Stat)
- The big sticking point in the White House's health care proposal (Politico)
- CDC quietly turned off its vaccine search tool. It's not clear when it's coming back (NOTUS)
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