Senate bill does not give Medicare bargaining power but would cap out-of-pocket payments by beneficiaries
MONDAY, Nov. 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A bipartisan Senate bill that would curb prescription drug costs is being backed by the Trump administration as a new poll shows that many Americans think the White House has done little to tackle the issue.
The Gallup-West Health poll found that 66 percent of adults do not believe the Trump administration has made any or very much progress in curbing the rising cost of prescription drugs, the Associated Press reported.
The Senate bill does not give Medicare bargaining power but would cap out-of-pocket payments by Medicare beneficiaries and make drug makers pay rebates if they raise prices too high, the AP reported.
There is also a competing House Democratic bill, which would build on the Senate bill by also authorizing Medicare to negotiate prices for the costliest drugs. Along with curbing price increases, the House bill would limit high launch prices for new drugs, and privately insured people would also be eligible for Medicare discounts, the AP reported.
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