Hidden in Warren’s 'Medicare for All' plan: her drug pricing plan
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the self-professed “I have a plan” candidate, finally has a plan to pay for "Medicare for All." (Bernie Sanders: your turn!) And within that $20 trillion proposal lies what drug pricing wonks have long awaited: a plan to address the cost of prescription drugs. She’s making bold promises, too: 70% price reductions for branded drugs under Medicare, and 30% for generics. Under Warren’s plan, prescription drug reform alone is estimated to save taxpayers $1.7 trillion in the next decade.
Warren’s drug pricing ideas, however, aren’t exactly hers — they’re more the work of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Lloyd Doggett. The central element, in fact, credits Pelosi's marquee bill: It would empower the federal government to negotiate prices for all drugs under Medicare, capping payments at 110% of international prices. Warren discusses “overriding the patent” if negotiations fail, acknowledging she borrowed the “compulsory licensing” provision from a Doggett bill popular among progressive lawmakers.
Warren, unsurprisingly, cites the infamous example of “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli and touts her own bill to let the federal government manufacture generic drugs. It’s a big step toward detail from Warren, whose drug pricing policy until now has largely consisted of co-sponsoring legislation from Sanders, her progressive rival. But it’s not the kind of detail and originality we’ve seen from a range of other candidates, like Sens. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, Pete Buttigieg, and Joe Biden.
Speaking of 2020: STAT will soon unveil a comprehensive insider’s guide to drug pricing and the upcoming presidential election, including in-depth analyses of every Democratic candidate, their platforms, their key staff members, and much more. Sign up here to be alerted when our election opus goes live!
Warren’s drug pricing ideas, however, aren’t exactly hers — they’re more the work of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Lloyd Doggett. The central element, in fact, credits Pelosi's marquee bill: It would empower the federal government to negotiate prices for all drugs under Medicare, capping payments at 110% of international prices. Warren discusses “overriding the patent” if negotiations fail, acknowledging she borrowed the “compulsory licensing” provision from a Doggett bill popular among progressive lawmakers.
Warren, unsurprisingly, cites the infamous example of “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli and touts her own bill to let the federal government manufacture generic drugs. It’s a big step toward detail from Warren, whose drug pricing policy until now has largely consisted of co-sponsoring legislation from Sanders, her progressive rival. But it’s not the kind of detail and originality we’ve seen from a range of other candidates, like Sens. Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand, Pete Buttigieg, and Joe Biden.
Speaking of 2020: STAT will soon unveil a comprehensive insider’s guide to drug pricing and the upcoming presidential election, including in-depth analyses of every Democratic candidate, their platforms, their key staff members, and much more. Sign up here to be alerted when our election opus goes live!
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