Biden May Have to Settle for Smaller Drug-Pricing Moves
As is the case for other flavors of health care reform, President-elect Joe Biden’s chance of passing substantial, transformative drug-pricing legislation is now highly dependent upon whether Democrats can eke out a majority in the Senate. While that question won’t be resolved until Georgia completes runoff elections in January, industry observers point out that there are ways that a Biden administration can address drug pricing through its regulatory authority — plus areas where even a split Congress might have enough common ground to pass legislation.
“A president can do a lot even with a divided Congress,” says Stephanie Kennan, a member of McGuireWoods Consulting’s federal public affairs group and former senior health policy adviser to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) “Part of how well something gets done…depends upon the skills of the president or those negotiating for him. With Biden perhaps having a better understanding of the Senate, having come from the Senate, [that] might help him.”
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Lauren Flynn Kelly Executive Editor, AIS Health, and Managing Editor, Radar on Medicare Advantage
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Angela Maas Managing Editor, Radar on Specialty Pharmacy and Spotlight on Market Access
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Leslie Small Managing Editor, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits
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Peter Johnson Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits
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Tim Casey Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits
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Carina Belles Reporter, Radar on Medicare Advantage and Spotlight on Market Access
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Jinghong Chen Reporter, Health Plan Weekly and Radar on Drug Benefits
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