US HHS secretary tells Senate Finance Committee he believes pharmacy benefit managers will effectively keep drug costs down in Medicare Part D, even without rebates.
The HHS proposal to eliminate prescription drug rebates in Medicare Part D will not lead to increased premiums and government spending despite some projections to the contrary, US HHS Secretary Alex Azar assured the Senate Finance Committee at a March 14 hearing.
The hearing focused on the President’s budget proposal for 2020
New draft guidance on the third cycle of Medicare drug price negotiations goes against Merck and BMS expectations for their cancer drugs. The guidance also tackles Part B and renegotiated prices for the first time.
The first two classes of negotiated drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act would not benefit from a rare disease adjustment House Republicans included in their reconciliation package.
US trade and tariff leverage might successfully push European and other countries to pay more for medicines, but if not, President Trump’s executive order includes potential US drug withdrawal and other options to entice industry to lower US prices.
