According to three people familiar with the matter, who explained the deliberations on anonymous terms, the proposed pricing of modified prescription drugs is similar to the blueprint proposed by the Democratic Party last year. It generally empowers the US government to negotiate prices for selected medicines on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, a move by Democrats will reduce costs in the coming years.
Under the proposal, according to the details obtained by the Washington Post, drug negotiations are set to begin in 2023. Democrats also maintain plans to limit drug costs for the elderly to $ 2,000 each year under Medicare, penalizing companies that raise prescription prices faster than inflation.
But, according to the document, for the first time, Democrats are aiming to close what they see as a loophole that may have allowed future governments to refrain from actively negotiating. The Republican Party has long opposed these bargaining powers, and the move is intended to ensure that the government is still trying to keep drug prices down, even if Washington’s dominance changes. Said one of the people familiar with. Democrats also plan to expand additional support for more low-income older people, hoping to help them pay their premiums and out-of-pocket costs.
Manchin publicly supported his party’s last attempt to lower drug prices for the elderly. Since then, he has repeatedly stated that he remains committed to this idea, especially as the cost of the economy as a whole has risen. However, despite his comments, other Democrats were worried about his tastes. This is a reflection of the turbulent changes and widespread negotiations between moderate West Virginia citizens and his own party members.
Democrats still want to use a process known as reconciliation to adopt drug pricing plans as part of a larger economic package that goes through a narrowly divided Senate. This move will allow the party to avoid the Republican filibuster, but only if all Democrats, including Manchin, have united with the help of Vice President Harris’ tiebreaker vote.
Personally, Schumaer told members of his caucuses that a swift resolution would allow them to bring a new bill to the floor in late July, one source said. rice field. To reach that goal, Democrats are planning to present their new drug price proposals to Senate MPs soon this week, sources said. Its seemingly bureaucratic steps have immeasurable consequences. The Chamber of Commerce’s chief rule holder has a great influence in deciding whether a legislator’s plan meets the strict rules of reconciliation that limit legislation to proposals that directly affect the budget.
The process is long and complicated, And if the drug price proposal does not fall within the guardrail range, it could result in a complete exclusion from the Democratic Party’s final action. Similar concerns have emerged with the party’s attempts to address drug costs last year, especially their proposal to limit insulin prices, whose fate remains unclear as bipartisan talks are underway. rice field.
In a statement, Manchin spokesman Sam Lun-young, a senator, “has long advocated a proposal to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, and his support for this proposal has been questioned. No. All 50 Democrats are pleased to agree. “
A spokesman for Schumer noted last week’s comments from Democratic leaders that the two had a “very good and productive debate,” despite “there are still some issues to be resolved.” Said and declined to comment.
New efforts among Democrats to revive their agenda reflect current political and economic urgency. For over a year, party lawmakers have scrambled to fulfill the promises they made during the last election, including a pledge to lower drug costs. But they could hardly do so and were in trouble by one of their own members — opposition fearing that many Democrats might sacrifice parliamentary rule in November.
Manchin has maintained resistance to spending as much as Democrats initially sought in a proposal known as the Buildback Better Act, which was once valued at around $ 2 trillion. He argued that such spending could increase debt and exacerbate inflation when costs were already skyrocketing. The senator’s position made him confront the rest of his party. They may have helped their families deal with the cause of their greatest financial burden, with their first invoice paid in full on new federal revenues.
Still, the Democratic Party cannot proceed without Manchin’s vote. This has already forced us to sacrifice some of our most valuable proposals, such as providing free kindergartens, reducing childcare costs, providing cheaper elderly care, and nationally paid family and medical approvals. Is the reality. Away, make a large investment in housing. They are currently looking for a much smaller package. It focuses primarily on reducing drug costs, investing in green energy, and changing tax laws to help reduce deficits.
In talks between Manchin and Schumer, many of these areas remain unresolved, with millions of Americans buying health insurance through the domestic exchanges first established by the Affordable Care Act. It also includes plans to expand subsidies. Without a resolution, more than 13 million people could see higher premiums next year.
According to the details of the plan that the post saw, the Democratic Party has newly settled on drug prices to ensure access to all free vaccines for Medicare seniors who are currently lacking such benefits. It also extends premium and out-of-pocket assistance to a larger share of low-income older Americans. The initiative also aims to encourage investment in generics that may bring further savings to the elderly.
Meanwhile, Democrats have sought to work with Republicans in another independent step to provide financial relief to diabetics. This spring, House adopted a bill to limit insulin costs, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced their own proposals this month to make additional revisions to the system. Did. Schumaer is uncertain whether he can win the support of at least 10 Senate Republicans to avoid filibuster, but he promised to bring it to the floor for voting.
Rachel Roubein contributed to this report.
