Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Insulin, Trump Hype, US Drug-Pricing System
PolitiFact: Trump Inflates Insulin Help For Seniors
President Donald Trump sometimes speaks as if a hoped-for result is the same as a done-deal. A day after he signed an executive order on insulin at the end of July, he took a victory lap on Twitter. "Nothing like this has ever been done before because Big Pharma, with its vast power, would not let it happen," he said in his July 25 tweet. "Expensive insulin went from big dollars to virtual pennies." (Jon Greenberg, 8/3)
AP Fact Check: Trump Hype On Drug Costs, Hydroxychloroquine
President Donald Trump is making grandiose claims about slashing drug prices and the efficacy of a treatment for COVID-19 that don’t hold up to reality. In a tweet Sunday, he asserts that he will reduce drug prices by at least 50%. That’s highly unlikely. Measures announced last month by the president will take time to roll out and their effects are uncertain. They also have been less ambitious than a plan by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that passed the House. (Calvin Woodward and Hope Yen, 8/2)
The Washington Post: The Health 202: The Pandemic Has Closed The Window For Fixing The Drug Pricing System In 2020
It was supposed to be the year of fixing the U.S. drug pricing system. Instead, the novel coronavirus pandemic is preoccupying Congress, making it nearly impossible for even President Trump to force attention on the issue ahead of the November election.Congress is negotiating another massive coronavirus relief bill, yet it’s devoid of any broad measures to lower prescription drug prices. Lobbyists and advocates acknowledge drug pricing legislation has sunk low on the list of priorities for lawmakers, even after the powerful Senate Finance Committee and the House passed in 2019 measures aimed at reducing drug prices and momentum seemed to be building during this election year toward a deal with the White House. (Paige Winfield Cunningham, 7/29)
