Washington – President Donald Trump’s The plan to change the price model for some medications already faces fierce criticism from the pharmaceutical industry before he has signed the executive order established for Monday that, if implemented, could reduce the cost of some drugs.
Trump has promised that his plan, which probably links the price of medications covered by Medicare and administered in the office of a doctor at the lowest price paid by other countries, will significantly reduce the costs of medicines.
“I will institute the most favored nation policy for which the United States will pay the same price as the nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the world,” the Republican President published on social networks on Sunday, promising to sign the order on Monday morning in the White House.
But the nation’s main pharmaceutical lobby on Sunday delayed Sunday, calling him a “bad business” for American patients. Medication manufacturers have long argued that any threat to their profits could affect the research they do to develop new drugs.
“The importation of foreign prices will reduce thousands of dollars from Medicare without guarantee that it helps patients or improve their access to medications,” said Stephen J. UBL, president and CEO of PHRMA, in a statement. “In danger of the hundreds of thousands of millions that our member companies plan to invest in the United States, which makes us more depending on China for innovative medicines.”
The so -called “most favored nation” approach to Medicare’s drug prices has been controversial since he tried to implement it for the first time during his first mandate. He signed A similar executive order In the last weeks of its presidency, but A court order Later he blocked the rule of entering into force under the administration of President Joe Biden.
The pharmaceutical industry has argued that Trump 2020’s attempt would give foreign governments the “advantage” by deciding the value of medicines in the United States.
It is likely that Trump’s executive order only affects drugs covered by Medicare Part B, the insurance for visits to the doctor’s office. Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for collecting some of the costs to obtain these medications during the medical visits, and for the traditional Medicare affiliates there is no annual pocket limit on what they pay.
A report According to Trump’s first administration, he discovered that the United States spends twice as many countries to cover those drugs. Medicare part B drug spending exceeded $ 33 billion in 2021.
Trump has played the announcement, saying that he will save a lot of money to taxpayers.
“Our country will finally be treated fairly, and our citizens’ medical care costs will be reduced by numbers never thought before,” Trump added.
But many Americans will not see savings.
Trump’s proposal would probably only affect certain medications covered by Medicare and an office, think of infusions that treat cancer and other injectables. But it could bring billions of dollars in savings to the government, not necessarily the “billion dollars” that Trump boasted in his position.
Medicare provides health insurance for approximately 70 million major Americans. Complaints about the prices of US medications are notoriously high, even when compared to other large and rich countries, they have long attracted the anger of both important political parties, but a lasting solution has never eliminated Congress.
More common prescription medications Filling in a pharmacy would probably not be covered by the new order.
Trump’s publication previously prior to the action occurred after a “very large announcement” last week. He did not give details, except to notice that he was not related to trade or The rates He has announced for much of the world.
“We are going to have a very, very big announcement to do, as as much as possible,” Trump said last week.
He entered his first period accusing the pharmaceutical companies of “escaping with murder” and complaining that other countries whose governments established drug prices took advantage of Americans.
On Sunday, Trump pointed to the industry again, writing that the “pharmaceutical/pharmaceutical companies would say, for years, that they were research and development costs, and that all these costs were, and that, without any reason, they do not take charge of the ‘offspring’ of the United States, only.”
Referring to the powerful lobbying efforts of pharmaceutical companies, he said that the contributions of the campaign “can do wonders, but not with me, and not with the Republican Party.”
“We are going to do the right thing,” he wrote.
