Among the litany of modest changes that the Trump administration rolled out in its plan to lower drug prices is one big idea that’s already worrying drug makers: a push to consolidate the two disparate Medicare programs that pay for prescription drugs.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has been touting the idea all week as a way to bring the negotiating power of the Part D program, which covers seniors’ prescription drugs, into the Part B program, which covers other treatments. “Let me be really clear about this: We are going to bring negotiation to Part B drugs, and we are going to give Part D plans more bargaining power. It’s going to happen,” he said.
An effort to completely revamp Medicare’s payment structure could be a long shot. It would require an act of Congress, and hundreds of lawmakers in both parties and chambers rose in opposition to the last efforts to modify the program under the Obama administration. But there are smaller steps Azar can take to move the Medicare program in a new direction — and quickly.
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