Drugmakers will be required to pay Medicare back for price increases that outpace inflation. The industry is expected to put up a fight over implementation.
Trump administration officials say drugs' list prices are like cars' sticker prices — easily negotiated. But in the life and death world of medicine, say price watchers, that analogy falls apart.
It was a tough week for the agency in charge of implementing Trump's ambitious plans to reduce drug costs. The administration rolled back one plan and had another shot down in court.
A pricing tool embedded in many prescribing and medical records systems lets doctors see how much each patient is likely to pay out of pocket for medicine. But the tools could be better, doctors say.
With high drug prices a hot election issue, drugmakers and the Trump administration are jockeying over how to bring prices down. But critics say the proposed fixes don't have enforcement teeth.
Two congressmen met with President Trump seeking support for a bill to expand the government's ability to negotiate drug prices. But it's not clear it would have much impact or will gain support.
The much-reviled former pharmaceutical executive remained tight-lipped, pleading the Fifth Amendment on his lawyer's advice. He simply smiled in response to harsh criticism from House representatives.