Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Year Of Racking Up Wins, Rare Loss In Budget Deal Has Pharma Mobilizing
The Hill: Drug Industry Scrambles After Rare Loss In Budget Deal
Pharmaceutical companies are pushing to repeal or roll back a provision in last week’s budget deal that delivered a rare loss to their industry, according to two lobbyists familiar with the situation. A provision included in the budget deal approved last week raised the share of costs that drug companies have to pick up as part of closing the “donut hole,” a gap in drug coverage for Medicare Part D beneficiaries. (Sullivan, 2/14)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Trump Presses Key Republican To Move On 'Right To Try'
President Trump personally pressed a key House committee chairman to move quickly on right-to-try legislation, asking for a timeline on the bill’s delivery at a separate White House event on infrastructure Wednesday. Rep. Greg Walden, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said Trump’s question was “How close are you to getting this done?” “And I said we’re very close. And we are,” Walden told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday, after the meeting. (Mershon, 2/14)
