Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Administration Reveals Its Roadmap For Lowering Drug Prices
Politico: Biden Admin Backs Direct Government Drug Price Negotiations
A new Biden administration plan aimed at lowering prescription drug prices endorses giving the government sweeping power to directly negotiate the cost of medicines, calling it one of the key steps Congress could take to make drugs “more affordable and equitable” for all Americans. The plan — developed by the Department of Health and Human Services and released on Thursday — largely backs Democrats’ ongoing efforts to lower drug prices as part of a $3.5 trillion reconciliation proposal, and mirrors a range of legislative options that both House and Senate lawmakers have floated in recent years. (Cancryn, 9/9)
CNBC: Biden Administration Unveils Plans To Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday unveiled the Biden administration’s road map to lowering the cost of prescription drugs. The plan, summarized in a 29-page document, supports legislation that allows the federal government to negotiate lower prices on the costliest drugs each year and pass those savings on to private insurers. Current rules prohibit HHS from negotiating drug prices on behalf of Medicare — the federal government’s health insurance plan for the elderly. (Lovelace Jr., 9/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Biden Administration Unveils Plan To Cut Prescription-Drug Prices
The plan, which was released Thursday, backs legislation from congressional Democrats, including a push to empower the federal government to negotiate for drug prices in Medicare and pass those lower costs along to the private sector. The road map goes further, however, by outlining administrative actions by agencies and departments that could come in concert with possible legislative changes.Administrative measures include testing reimbursement for drugs in Medicare based on the clinical value they provide to patients and offering federal funding for research into new treatments, according to the plan viewed by The Wall Street Journal. (Armour, 9/9)
Stat: Biden Plan To Lower Drug Prices Drawn From Familiar Democratic Playbook
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled a long-awaited plan to lower prescription drug prices that included a number of aggressive proposals but largely tread over ideas that Democrats have pushed for years. The plan would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices with manufacturers, a longstanding pledge from Biden, Democratic lawmakers, and every Democratic presidential candidate in 2020. It also would limit yearly price increases, allow the importation of drugs from Canada, and place a cap on out-of-pocket spending for Medicare beneficiaries. (Facher, 9/9)
And on House and Senate efforts to tackle drug pricing –
The Hill: House Democrats Unveil Proposals On Drug Prices, Medicaid Expansion
House Democrats on Thursday unveiled a range of health care measures to be included in their coming $3.5 trillion package, including provisions to lower prescription drug prices and expand Medicaid in the 12 GOP-led states that have refused to do so. The measure unveiled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee ahead of consideration next week includes House Democrats’ signature legislation to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower drug prices, known as H.R. 3. (Sullivan, 9/9)
Modern Healthcare: House Democrats Propose ACA Subsidies For Medicaid Expansion Gap
More than 2 million low-income people who live in states that have rejected the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion would get help buying coverage on the ACA's exchanges under a bill released Thursday by a congressional committee. The U.S. House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee released its portion of the $3.5 trillion health, education, labor and social services package congressional Democrats hope to pass this year, proposing permanent coverage of people who fall in the Medicaid expansion gap in states like Texas and Florida. Through 2024, those individuals would be eligible for ACA premium tax credits with enhanced cost-sharing assistance. (Hellmann, 9/9)
Stat: Senate Considers Pegging Medicare Drug Prices To Discounted VA Rates
Senate lawmakers are actively considering pegging the prices Medicare pays for drugs to those drug makers offer to other government programs like the nation’s veterans health program, according to sources familiar with the discussions as well as an internal slide deck obtained by STAT. The proposal, known internally as domestic reference pricing, could have a multibillion-dollar impact on drug makers, which have long opposed allowing Medicare to negotiate over drug prices. (Florko and Cohrs, 9/9)
Axios: Democrats' Reconciliation Health Care Plans Are Taking Shape
Democrats' ambitious health plans are slowly transitioning from bullet point proposals to more fleshed-out policies, inching the legislative process forward and shedding more light on who stands to win or lose. Some of these proposals put the House and Senate in conflict with one another, emphasizing just how far Democrats still have to go. (Owens, 9/10)
Also —
The Hill: House Democrat Says She'll Oppose Parts Of $3.5T Spending Package
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.), a prominent moderate House Democrat, indicated Thursday that she is planning to vote against the provisions under consideration in the House Ways and Means Committee's markup of portions of Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending bill, citing concerns about the legislative process. "Despite this committee's extraordinary efforts, I find myself in an impossible situation, " she said, adding that she expects to vote "no," "unless something changes." (Jagoda, 9/9)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
Politico: Klobuchar Announces Successful Breast Cancer Treatment
Sen. Amy Klobuchar revealed Thursday she was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year but that she had since been treated successfully for the disease and was at no greater risk of developing it again. The Minnesota Democrat wrote in a Medium blog post that upon a visit to the Mayo Clinic in February, doctors “found small white spots called calcifications during a routine mammogram.” She then underwent a biopsy at Piper Breast Center in Minneapolis and “learned that I had Stage 1A breast cancer.” (Forgey, 9/9)
