U.S. health secretary says agency has power to eliminate drug rebateshttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drugpricing-azar/u-s-health-secretary-says-agency-has-power-to-eliminate-drug-rebates-idUSKCN1L512HQuote
Such rebates are negotiated in the United States by pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) to lower the cost of medicines for their clients, including large employers and health plans that cover tens of millions of Americans.
Drugmakers say they are under pressure to provide rebates to the few PBMs that dominate the market and that those payers do not pass on enough of those savings to patients - a contention the PBMs dispute. The drugmakers say the rebates force them to raise the price of their therapies over time to preserve their business.
The Trump administration has been receptive to that argument. Azar, in an interview with Reuters on Friday, said rebates created a perverse incentive to continuously raise drug prices.
Azar, a former top executive at drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co, is trying to deliver on President Donald Trump’s promises to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Americans, which Trump made a major priority during his 2016 presidential campaign.
The Department of Health and Human Services last month proposed regulations that would scale back protections for rebates that might otherwise be illegal under a federal anti-kickback law.
I'm wondering if the PBMs aren't the entire problem with the high drug prices.
I've read the entire article, and I'm not at all sure that I understand why we even NEED PBMs.
They sound like one of those groups that decided to "create a need, then fill it".
/e Btw, here's the rest of Trumps tweets...
Factbox: Trump on Twitter (Aug 20) - Mueller, Collusion, Brennan, Ohrhttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tweet-factbox/factbox-trump-on-twitter-mueller-collusion-brennan-ohr-idUSKCN1L519YQuote
The opinions expressed are his own. Reuters has not edited the statements or confirmed their accuracy.
@realDonaldTrump :
- Disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Councel, only with my approval, for purposes of transparency. Anybody needing that much time when they know there is no Russian Collusion is just someone.... [0728 EDT]
- ....looking for trouble. They are enjoying ruining people’s lives and REFUSE to look at the real corruption on the Democrat side - the lies, the firings, the deleted Emails and soooo much more! Mueller’s Angry Dems are looking to impact the election. They are a National Disgrace! [0738 EDT]
- Where’s the Collusion? They made up a phony crime called Collusion, and when there was no Collusion they say there was Obstruction (of a phony crime that never existed). If you FIGHT BACK or say anything bad about the Rigged Witch Hunt, they scream Obstruction! [0748 EDT]
- I hope John Brennan, the worst CIA Director in our country’s history, brings a lawsuit. It will then be very easy to get all of his records, texts, emails and documents to show not only the poor job he did, but how he was involved with the Mueller Rigged Witch Hunt. He won’t sue! [1013 EDT]
- Everybody wants to keep their Security Clearance, it’s worth great prestige and big dollars, even board seats, and that is why certain people are coming forward to protect Brennan. It certainly isn’t because of the good job he did! He is a political “hack.” [1023 EDT]
- Will Bruce Ohr, whose family received big money for helping to create the phony, dirty and discredited Dossier, ever be fired from the Jeff Sessions “Justice” Department? A total joke! [1036 EDT]
- “Bruce Ohr is at the center of FALSE ALLEGATIONS which led to a multi-million dollar investigation into what apparently didn’t happen.” Darrell Issa, House Oversight. We can take out the word “apparently.” @FoxNews [1046 EDT]
This post was edited by Ghot on Aug 20 2018 10:20am
Guests cannot view or vote in polls. Please register or login.