Older patients will lose out with President Donald Trump’s American Patients First proposal as there is no requirement for Medicare to negotiate directly with drugmakers, writes West Health founder Gary West. So despite all of Trump’s promises, Big Pharma and its lobbyists have won, and patients are not top priority after all. West said he was originally heartened by the president’s campaign vow to leverage Medicare’s buying power to rein in prescription medicine prices. After all, letting Medicare seek lower prices like Congress does is a “no-brainer” from a business perspective. Medicare is the single largest payer for US health care and acts as a gateway to a huge marketplace including 42 million seniors and people with disabilities covered under Part D, who are also the highest-volume consumers of medication. So why isn’t Trump – who knows the “art of the deal” has everything to do with leverage – not acting on behalf of Americans? Trump recently replaced the head of Health and Human Services with a former pharmaceutical chief and lobbyist. On the day he announced his American Patients First blueprint, major pharmaceutical indices rose by nearly 2 percent and have maintained or risen in value since. This is because investors know that Trump’s proposal gives pharma firms a “free pass” to continue profiteering from older and poor Americans. When we sell out Medicare beneficiaries to strike a “sweetheart deal” for Big Pharma, we are short-selling ourselves and cheating our parents and grandparents, says West. Future taxpayers and seniors are likely to inherit a bankrupt Medicare system. As such, Trump’s proposal is a sham for taxpayers and a windfall for drugmakers. An act of the Veterans Administration is what is needed to make things right, West writes. The House and Senate need to repeal the no-negotiation clause and replace it with legislation authorising Medicare to directly negotiate with drug makers. But it is hard to imagine the current the Veterans Administration acting on behalf of seniors, unless they deem it politically beneficial – so voters need to make their voices heard in the November midterms. A 2017 survey found that 90 percent of Americans back Medicare directly negotiating drug prices so they can make a difference. So go out and vote to get patients a fair deal on drug prices, urges West. “Let’s require Medicare to negotiate and let’s have a plan that really puts ‘American Patients First.’”
Older patients will lose out with President Donald Trump’s American Patients First proposal as there is no requirement for Medicare to negotiate directly with drugmakers, writes West Health founder Gary West. So despite all of Trump’s promises, Big Pharma and its lobbyists have won, and patients are not top priority after all. West said he was originally heartened by the president’s campaign vow to leverage Medicare’s buying power to rein in prescription medicine prices. After all, letting Medicare seek lower prices like the Veterans Administration does is a “no-brainer” from a business perspective. Medicare is the single largest payer for US health care and acts as a gateway to a huge marketplace including 42 million seniors and people with disabilities covered under Part D, who are also the highest-volume consumers of medication. So why isn’t Trump – who knows the “art of the deal” has everything to do with leverage – not acting on behalf of Americans? Trump recently replaced the head of Health and Human Services with a former pharmaceutical chief and lobbyist. On the day he announced his American Patients First blueprint, major pharmaceutical indices rose by nearly 2 percent and have maintained or risen in value since. This is because investors know that Trump’s proposal gives pharma firms a “free pass” to continue profiteering from older and poor Americans. When we sell out Medicare beneficiaries to strike a “sweetheart deal” for Big Pharma, we are short-selling ourselves and cheating our parents and grandparents, says West. Future taxpayers and seniors are likely to inherit a bankrupt Medicare system. As such, Trump’s proposal is a sham for taxpayers and a windfall for drugmakers. An act of Congress is what is needed to make things right, West writes. The House and Senate need to repeal the no-negotiation clause and replace it with legislation authorising Medicare to directly negotiate with drug makers. But it is hard to imagine the current Congress acting on behalf of seniors, unless they deem it politically beneficial – so voters need to make their voices heard in the November midterms. A 2017 survey found that 90 percent of Americans back Medicare directly negotiating drug prices so they can make a difference. So go out and vote to get patients a fair deal on drug prices, urges West. “Let’s require Medicare to negotiate and let’s have a plan that really puts ‘American Patients First.’”