Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Aggressive Drug Pricing Plan, Pelosi May Have Found Sweet Spot To Both Woo Her Left Flank, Get President On Board
Politico: Pelosi Tries To Split Trump, Republicans Over Drug Pricing
Nancy Pelosi is calling President Donald Trump’s bluff with her draft plan to bring down drug prices. Lifting key parts of Trump’s agenda and his campaign rhetoric, the House speaker is seizing the moment to push a series of populist policies like direct government negotiations with drugmakers that Republican lawmakers have long dismissed as price-fixing. (Karlin-Smith and Cancryn, 9/10)
The New York Times: Pelosi Energizes Battle To Lower Drug Prices
A draft proposal by Speaker Nancy Pelosi would empower the federal government to negotiate lower prices for hundreds of prescription drugs, not only for Medicare but for the private market as well, injecting new urgency into Washington’s efforts to control the soaring price of pharmaceuticals. The plan would revive an idea loathed by most congressional Republicans but long embraced by Democrats; President Trump expressed support for it during his 2016 campaign. (Goodnough, 9/10)
The Hill: Pelosi Woos Progressives On Prescription Drug Pricing Plan
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is floating a plan to lower drug prices aimed at winning over progressives, a move to shift the debate to the left. Progressives who had pressured Pelosi to go bolder for months reacted with cautious praise to a leaked version of her signature plan to lower drug prices, even as they warned they still had concerns. (Sullivan, 9/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Drug Prices Get Washington’s Attention Ahead Of 2020 Election
Concern over high drug prices is driving proposals this fall from both Republicans and Democrats on an issue likely to be near the top of the 2020 election agenda. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) is preparing to reveal a bill likely to allow Medicare to negotiate hundreds of drug prices. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), meanwhile, is pushing a bipartisan drug-pricing bill that seeks to lower drug costs in Medicare and Medicaid. (Armour and Duehren, 9/10)
The Wall Street Journal: For Drug Companies, There Are Real Costs To Unpopularity
A familiar headache for drug investors is likely to soon reappear. A draft plan to lower prescription-drug prices from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was circulated around Washington on Monday. The contents of the draft, though preliminary, should get Wall Street’s attention. (Grant, 9/10)
