SUMMARY: The new, proposed, drug legislation is a first step rather than a sweeping change. It’s a collection of measures meant to bring down prices slowly and on targeted drugs, and pharma is already complaining.
Rx drug costs
KEY TAKEAWAY: Pharma companies continually use the excuse of “helping patients” or “prolonging life” to justify high drug prices, but that talking point isn’t relevant anymore in an era of total transparency.
10 selected new medications are likely to result in medication costs to the government of $49.3 billion over a 10-year period, including: $31.3 billion in Medicare spend; $15.8 billion in state and federal Medicaid spend; and $2.1 billion as a result of subsidies provided through exchange plans.