Controlling the political pricing narrative

Conservatives have opposed some of President Trump’s major plans to lower drug prices — and he seems to be fighting back. On July 12, the president’s aides rebuked the top right-leaning health policy minds at a gathering in the White House, STAT's Lev Facher reports.

“The president will not be outflanked on the left on drug prices,” said Joe Grogan, one of the aides, told those at the meeting, according to four sources familiar with the remarks.

Rather than receiving support from fellow conservatives, Trump’s pricing plan mirrors the ideologies endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and his ilk.

“It’s a very interesting dynamic, in that the Republican Party, from a philosophical standpoint, has generally favored free markets,” said Katie Mahoney, the vice president for health policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.