Trump’s Drug Pricing Deals are a Charade
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump is expected to announce today that all 50 states’ Medicaid programs have applied to participate in his pilot program to test most-favored nation pricing for some drugs. Applying does not obligate states to participate. Peter Maybarduk, Access to Medicines director for Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“Here’s the reality Americans are facing: high drug prices, rising health insurance premiums, and restrictions on drug coverage. But Trump’s own health officials have explicitly stated that companies in these deals can charge ‘whatever price they want for their medicines in the U.S.’ In other words, people who work for Trump who are in a position to know are saying his drug pricing deals are a charade. And it’s not just them.
“Big Pharma expects little to no financial impact from these short-term Medicaid deals. Instead, pharma companies and Trump appear to have worked together to offer minor concessions to avoid taking more meaningful action to lower prices. What’s more, the Trump administration continues to obscure key details about its Medicaid deals, including the number of drugs subject to price concessions and the true level of price reductions, which will only be in place through the end of his term.
“Trump should take a bow. If this were a game of charades, that would correctly signal what these deals actually are: theater.”