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Top Democrats in Congress are pushing to add drug pricing measures and even an extension of Medicare eligibility for President BidenJoe Biden Event Center California Drops Plan to Host Gaetz, Greene Xi’s “America First” Tour, Kim Pledges to Strengthen North Korea-China Friendship, Cooperation Shows Preview Sunday: Biden Defends the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan; COVID-19 impacts unvaccinated pockets PLUSAmerican Families Plan after the White House excluded proposals from the $ 1.8 trillion package.
Biden made a rhetorical call for the passage of drug pricing legislation in his speech to Congress on Wednesday, but the administration’s decision not to include the measure in the human-centered infrastructure proposal President, despite pressure from Democratic lawmakers, raises questions about his engagement.
Now congressional Democrats such as House of Commons Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (NJ) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden
Ronald (Ron) Lee WydenBiden Sacks Social Security Administration House Report Chief: Pharmaceutical Companies Spent More On Buyouts, Dividends Than Research The Hill’s Morning Report – GOPers 2024 Target: Go Cautiously, Don’t Bother Trump MORE (Ore.) Say they could add measures to lower prescription drug prices when the US Families Plan goes through Congress.
A vocal group of lawmakers, including progressive leaders like Sen. Bernie sanders
Bernie SandersSanders on Richardson’s Olympic suspension: “Takes on the problems” of the “war on drugs” Nina Turner’s surrogate calls the influx of outside money “very upsetting” Sanders reaffirms her support for Turner in the ‘Ohio amid the democratic divide MORE (I-Vt.) And Rep. Pramila Jayapal
Pramila JayapalExclusive: Democrat García Won’t Support Reconciliation Without Immigration Progressives Speed Up Medicare Expansion In Congressional Court Decision Sets Up Increasingly Deadly Fight Against Tech MORE (D-Wash.), Is also pushing to include a measure lowering the age of eligibility for Medicare to 55 or 60. This proposal, however, received less attention from committee chairs and leaders than the drug pricing effort.
“We will be looking at all possible vehicles, and it starts today,” Wyden said Wednesday of a move to cut drug prices, when asked if he wanted to see it in the plan. families.
Pallone was even more explicit.
“It is essential that we level the playing field by giving the federal government the ability to negotiate lower prescription drug costs, and this will be one of my top priorities as we work to pass the plan. American for families, ”he said in a statement.
Drug Price Proposals Have Strong Support in Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi Photos of the Week: Therapy Dog, Surfside Memorial, and Chinese Dancers Jan 6 Insurgency Inquiry to Resurrect Democracy Hillicon Valley: Warren Calls on SEC to Take a Closer Look at Cryptocurrency Exchanges | Maryland Town Taken Offline in Massive Ransomware Attack | Huawei hires three new PLUS lobbying firms (D-Calif.), Who lobbied for House Democrats signing legislation on this front, known as HR 3.
Pelosi said Thursday that there is “great interest” in passing drug pricing legislation.
There is an element of uncertainty in the discussions, given that it’s not entirely clear how Biden’s range of proposals on infrastructure, paid time off, child care and others domains will be packed as they pass through the House and Senate.
“What’s in one bill or another isn’t really what’s important,” Pelosi said, leaving some leeway on where the drug prices would fit.
Still, many Democrats expect several of the major proposals to be combined into one massive bill that goes through the fast-track process known as budget reconciliation to avoid Republican obstruction in the Senate. Supporters of the healthcare measures want the proposals to be included in this possible package.
In the days leading up to Biden’s speech on Wednesday, he came under pressure from a wide range of Congressional Democrats on both drug prices and Medicare measures.
More than 80 House Democrats, including moderates like Reps Jared Golden (Maine) and Conor Lamb (Pa.), As well as Jayapal, chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, wrote to Biden asking him to include the award. drugs and lower medicare. age in the scheme.
Across the Capitol, Sanders and 16 Democratic senators sent a similar letter, calling for the extension of Medicare benefits to include dental, vision and hearing.
“We have a historic opportunity to achieve the most significant expansion of Medicare since it was proclaimed,” wrote the senators.
But lobbying efforts failed as the White House chose not to include drug prices or health insurance measures. Another commitment of the Biden campaign – to create a public option for health insurance to compete with private insurers, and open to people of all ages – has largely come out of the discussion, as lawmakers focus on other health care measures.
Supporters of the drug pricing legislation, however, took comfort in Biden’s call to action on Wednesday night.
“Let’s do what we’ve always talked about all the years I’ve been here in this body of Congress,” Biden said. “Let’s give Medicare the power to save hundreds of billions of dollars by negotiating lower prices on prescription drugs.”
“Let’s do it this year,” he added.
There is a question whether the House Drug Prices Bill, HR 3, might be too ambitious to go through the Senate 50-50.
The bill’s extensive provisions include drug price caps for a minimum of 50 drugs per year based on the price paid in a group of other wealthy countries. The Secretary of Health and Social Services would then be able to negotiate lower prices, even below that cap, and pharmaceutical companies would be hit with a hefty tax of up to 95% of a drug’s revenue if they refused to negotiate.
Wyden said it may be necessary to change legislation, which the House has yet to vote on this year, although he said it was essential to allow Medicare to negotiate prices, while limiting price increases in Medicare.
“My feeling is that what the president has decided to do is give Congress the space to come to an agreement and this work begins now,” Wyden told reporters.
Alex Lawson, executive director of the progressive advocacy group Social Security Works, called on the Senate not to drop the House bill for weaker measure.
“The Senate is not here [on the House bill], so all our efforts are going to be focused on getting the Senate, ”he said, noting the intense negotiations between progressives and moderates that have already been incorporated into the House’s drug pricing bill in 2019. which was adopted by a vote of 230 to 192.
“We just have to understand in the Senate: no, no, no, we have already fought,” he added.
There has also been debate among Democrats over whether to spend the roughly $ 500 billion in savings over 10 years from the drug price bill on Affordable Care Act (ACA) improvements or on Medicare changes.
Biden’s U.S. plan for families includes $ 200 billion to extend increased ACA grants that help people pay their premiums better.
By setting aside additional healthcare measures, Biden is putting himself in a better position to avoid fights with the healthcare industry or internal Democrat debates. Pharmaceutical companies strongly oppose the Maison’s drug pricing bill, which they say will hamper innovation leading to new drugs, and an even larger segment of the industry would oppose it. lowering the Medicare age.
representative Peter Welch
Peter Francis WelchShakespeare Gets Congressional Hearing This Year In Democrats’ ‘Will On The Hill’ Debate Of New Jan. 6 Money Inquiry: Tech Giants Face Growing Pressure From Activists shareholders House Democrats urge IRS to overturn Trump-era rule reducing donor disclosure | Senator Warren and Jamie Dimon discuss overdraft fees at Senate hearing MORE (D-Vt.) Urged his fellow Democrats to put aside the savings debate and instead focus on getting drug pricing legislation through the finish line.
“Focus on that and how hard it is to get there before you start talking about spending money that we haven’t saved yet,” he said.
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