Joe Biden Will Call For Drug Price Legislation In His Address To Congress huffpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from huffpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The U.S. House of Representatives is considering dueling proposals related to drug pricing under Medicaid and Medicare, including the Republican-led H.R. 19, the “Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021” and a reintroduced version of the Democrat-led “Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act,” originally introduced in 2019 (and hereinafter referred to) as H.R. 3. Although the bills diverge in various material respects, both would implement sweeping changes related to drug coverage and price reporting. At the same time that the House considers these proposals, Senate Democrats are urging President Biden to include major drug pricing legislation in the second phase of his infrastructure plan. The White House has been silent to date on whether drug pricing will be addressed in the next proposed infrastructure package.
To preempt that criticism this time around, the new version boosts funding for the National Institutes of Health “to support research and development of new breakthrough treatments and cures.”
The logic here rests on the notion that government researchers invent and develop new drugs. While I sympathize with the desire to lower drug costs for everyday Americans, that logic is wrong. The new version of H.R. 3 would have just as devastating an impact on innovation as the old version.
Yes, NIH labs and federally supported researchers at universities conduct critical, basic research that broadens our understanding of medicine. And some of the insights gleaned help catalyze the development of new medicines.
Examining Our COVID-19 Response: Using Lessons Learned to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders”
10:00 a.m.
Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Hearing:
“Addressing Health Disparities in Indian Country: Review of the Indian Health Service’s COVID Response and Future Needs”
10:00 a.m.
Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Hearing:
“VA Telehealth Program: Leveraging Recent Investments to Build Future Capacity”
3:00 p.m.
May 4
House Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing: “
To Discuss the Reintroduction of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3)”
House
House Republicans Introduce Drug Pricing Legislation
Last Thursday, House Democrats reintroduced a bill from the last Congress, which they claim will protect Medicare from excessive prescription drug prices.