Schumer announces deal to lower prescription drug prices
By Peter Sullivan - 11/02/21 02:43 PM EDT
Democratic lawmakers have reached a deal on legislation to lower prescription drug prices to be included in President Biden's social spending package, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday.
The agreement is less far-reaching than earlier Democratic proposals, but still represents progress on an issue the party has campaigned on for years.
The agreement would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices in limited instances, prevent drug companies from raising prices faster than inflation and cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 per year.
Democrats scaled back their earlier sweeping measure because of concerns from a handful of moderates that it would have harmed innovation from drug companies to develop new treatments. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), as well as Reps. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) were among those moderates and helped lead negotiations with leadership over the compromise measure.
"It's not everything we all wanted, many of us would have wanted to go much further, but it's a big step in helping the American people deal with the price of drugs," Schumer told reporters.
more
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/579660-schumer-announces-deal-to-lower-prescription-drug-prices
