More is needed to lower drug costs
By Admin | February 26, 2018
Trump’s proposed plans to lower the costs of pharmaceuticals have many skeptics who say much more needs to be done, an article by FierceHealthcare says.
The White House issued a 30-page report outlining how the administration will reduce current drug prices and provide incentives to pharmaceutical companies to innovate.
One of the proposals is for rebates to be more available to consumers and patients, but the argument against that is that drug copayments reflect the retail price of drugs, not the amount after a rebate.
Many of the other plans include moving drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D in order to push doctors to prescribe more inexpensive drugs, but skeptics say this and many of the other proposals within the report are championed by the pharmaceutical companies and won’t help lower retail prices
In fact, this change could actually raise the cost of drugs for many seniors, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association says.
For more and to read the White House’s report, read “Skeptics say Trump's efforts to lower drug prices don't go far enough” by FierceHealthcare.
