Secret Deal Between White House and Big Pharma?
That’s what Ryan Grim at The Huffington Post is reporting this morning, having unearthed what purports to be a memo outlining a secret deal cut between the
Jul 31, 2020473.4K Shares8.3M Views
That’s what Ryan Grim at The Huffington Post is reporting this morning, having unearthed what purports to be a memo outlining a secret deal cut between the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby over health reform legislation.
“„It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government’s leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada — and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements.
“„In exchange, the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) agreed to cut $80 billion in projected costs to taxpayers and senior citizens over ten years. Or, as the memo says: “Commitment of up to $80 billion, but not more than $80 billion.”
If true, such a deal would likely cause a backlash on Capitol Hill, where Democratic leaders have long-eyed proposalsallowing Americans to buy U.S.-made pharmaceuticals from foreign countries like Canada, where prices are much lower.
Both the administration and PhRMA have denied the legitimacy of the memo, Grim writes. Indeed, a senior White House official said earlier this week that, as part of the $80 billion dealwith the branded drug industry, the administration agreed to take off the table a proposal to give the government a drug-maker rebate for pharmaceuticals purchased for patients qualifying for both Medicare and Medicaid. But the proposal to allow drug re-importation, the official said, “wasn’t part of the negotiations.”
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Hajra Shannon
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