Trump Administration Blueprint for Tackling High Prescription Drug Prices Needs More Action Steps

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<p>Last week, President Trump released his anticipated “blueprint” for lowering high prescription drug prices in the U.S. While the plan identifies some of the problems causing escalating costs — high list prices, a lack of negotiation tools for federal programs, and rising consumer out-of-pocket costs — the main culprits are not addressed, say the Commonwealth Fund’s Shawn Bishop, Christina Ramsay, Lovisa Gustafsson on <em>To the Point.</em></p><p>The administration’s blueprint, for example, emphasizes driving competition by increasing transparency around prices and anticompetitive practices by the drug industry. But the Commonwealth Fund researchers argue that federal agencies need to prevent drug manufacturers from blocking the market entry of cheaper version of their products. They also say Medicare and Medicaid should be required to include value assessments of each drug’s clinical effectiveness in negotiations with drug companies and in coverage decisions.</p>

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2018/may/trump-administration-blueprint Read the post