Trump will talk high health costs at SOTU

President Trump will address Congress tomorrow in his second State of the Union speech — and you can expect prescription drug costs to play a prominent role. The cost of health care — and in particular, the price of prescription drugs — were among a handful of policy items the White House highlighted when previewing the speech to reporters. Last week, health secretary Alex Azar called on Congress to eliminate rebates for medicines purchased in the Medicare program, the latest in a string of proposals that would change how the U.S. health care system pays for drugs. At least one member of Congress has invited a constituent impacted by high drug costs to Trump’s speech. Nicole Smith-Holt, whose son Alec died after struggling to pay for his insulin, is attending as a guest of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

Another topic Trump might touch on: ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. Politico reports that Trump plans to discuss a 10-year strategy to target communities with the most HIV infections to curb new infections.