Trump’s budget proposal is out. Here’s the health care impact

The Trump administration yesterday released a draft budget proposal outlining the administration’s funding priorities for the coming year. The White House plan has often been mostly ignored by Congress, but here’s a rundown of how it could affect health care:

• Out-of-pocket spending cap: The budget calls for a cap on prescription drug spending for seniors covered by Medicare. While the proposal does not list a certain threshold, it suggests the policy change would cost the government $14 million.
• NIH cuts: The document outlines $5.5 billion in cuts to the agency’s funding. Congress has dismissed such calls in the past and has increased the NIH’s budget by roughly $9 billion in the past five years.
• HIV/AIDS funding: The proposal requests nearly $300 million to fight HIV/AIDS, as part of a plan mentioned in this year’s State of the Union to lower new transmissions of the disease by 90 percent by 2030.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar will speak on the budget before the House Energy and Commerce Committee today, but is likely to also be questioned on drug pricing and the agency’s handling of the migrant children crisis. Watch here starting at noon ET.