Trump cancels Biden’s rule to help Medicare lower prescription drug prices

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As the second iteration of the Trump administration takes shape, President Trump has been busy issuing executive orders intended to undo many of the policy initiatives of the Biden administration and beyond. Thus far, Trump has signed executive orders related to rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government and ending birthright citizenship, among others. One of the initiatives that Trump has decided to roll back by executive order is related to drug pricing. According to Politico, Trump has signed an executive order rescinding a Biden executive order that encouraged Medicare to help lower prescription costs.

Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF (formerly known a the Kaiser Family Foundation), says the move may reveal  where Trump stands on the consumer prices for prescription drugs.

“It is perplexing why Trump would have included receding this drug cost executive order on day one. It at least sends a signal that Trump may not be serious about addressing drug costs,” he said. 

Another question worth exploring is when Trump’s executive order might be implemented. In October 2022, former President Biden directed the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI)  to develop payment models intended to lower prescription drug costs. The models are currently under development; none of them have been implemented yet by the CMMI. 

Levitt pointed out why the issuance of the executive order is confusing. “I don’t think the executive order would necessarily stop these models,” he said.

According to KFF, one quarter of adults struggle to pay for prescription drugs, while the majority of both Democrats and Republicans polled say there isn’t enough regulation “when it comes to limiting the price of prescription drugs.”

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Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).