Julie Rovner, KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, joined PBS NewsHour’s Laura Barrón-López on July 29 to discuss Senate Democrats’ proposals to let Medicare negotiate some drug prices, cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and continue funding for enhanced premium subsidies for people buying health insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces.
Republicans and Democrats have been at odds over allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices since the drug benefit was passed in 2003.
The plan before the Senate would start with just 10 drugs for price negotiations in the first year, and it would not expand very much. But, Rovner notes, those could include some of the most expensive drugs, so the change could have an “outsized impact.” You can watch the conversation here.