Capping Prescriptions Cost Act of 2018

A new bill introduced by Democratic members of both houses of Congress will take "real action to protect families" from high prescription drug costs instead of providing a "photo op" for President Donald Trump, said co-sponsor Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

The Democratic bill would be applied to group health insurance plans and individual market plans,
and would cap prescription costs at $250 per month for individuals and at $500 per month for families.

www.commondreams.org...

The actual Senate version (no number assigned yet):

www.warren.senate.gov...

I doubt this will get out of committee without huge public support and I would hope that everyone would call their Representatives and Senators and require their support of a much needed move in the direction of lowering Medical costs.

So, umm. THat's nice. Nowhere in the bill (I read it) does it say who is going to pay for this. It reads like an edict, short and sweet, with no details.

Will that count with cancer "chemo" (drug) treatments that they charge $10,000 and up per IV-bags worth?

a reply to: FyreByrd

Why didn't they do that in the first place with Obamacare?

How about they go after the insurance companies to lower cost and cover pre existing. You know those guys that wrote the ACA back in the Obama administration. Those guys that made money from the sweat of the working class. Those guys said I "had" to buy a service or get fined after Obama said "I could keep what I got". You Know those guys.

a reply to: FyreByrd

So they're adding more meat into the insurance company scams of "deductables and max out of pockets" meat grinder policies and making them at the federal level? No thanks.

Trump's plan, involving using Medicare Part D to negotiate maximum drug prices payable while changing FDA regulations and elimination of various federal barriers to generic competition and changing the rules where kickbacks and drug rebate vouchers (specifically who gets them, the doctor, insurance company, or as Trump has proposed the patient directly) will have a much greater impact without continuing to feed the beast that has brought us to this point to begin with.

"Look voters, we're doing something! Please give us money and congressional seats because we need them bad."

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Its routine the .gov grants Big Pharm corps 'like a million bucks' to develop a new prescription drug, then they turn around and charge $20 or whatever per tiny pill (and not have to pay the seeder money back).

Pfizer is only one company, but President Trump got them to freeze some drug prices and reduce others, this week.

President Trump is now applauding Pfizer for agreeing to reverse or postpone drug price hikes, a day after he pressured the pharmaceutical giant in a scathing tweet.

He posted a tweet Tuesday evening saying he has spoken with both Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ian Read about the price increases. Trump praised Pfizer for "rolling back price hikes, so American patients don't pay more," saying he "hopes other companies do the same."

More at: www.npr.org...

I can assume from the repies, that all are in favor of single-payer health care as ACA didn't take care of these 'details'.

originally posted by: watchitburn
a reply to: FyreByrd

Why didn't they do that in the first place with Obamacare?

If they fixed everything back then, what would they campaign on?

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: FyreByrd

So they're adding more meat into the insurance company scams of "deductables and max out of pockets" meat grinder policies and making them at the federal level? No thanks.

Trump's plan, involving using Medicare Part D to negotiate maximum drug prices payable while changing FDA regulations and elimination of various federal barriers to generic competition and changing the rules where kickbacks and drug rebate vouchers (specifically who gets them, the doctor, insurance company, or as Trump has proposed the patient directly) will have a much greater impact without continuing to feed the beast that has brought us to this point to begin with.

Too complicated. They're going with "it will only cost this much. Don't worry, *someone* will pay for it" like they usually do.

Sounds like a brilliant plan.

Cap the cost insurance companies are allowed to pass onto patients and that forces the insurance companies to raise premiums to cover the expense.
Who pays that?
The patient.

Obama should have worried less about getting everyone medical insurance and worked on a plan to reduce medical costs.

originally posted by: FyreByrd
I can assume from the repies, that all are in favor of single-payer health care as ACA didn't take care of these 'details'.

Not a very good assumption. In fact, I don't see where you got that from the replies at all.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Sounds like a brilliant plan.

Cap the cost insurance companies are allowed to pass onto patients and that forces the insurance companies to raise premiums to cover the expense.
Who pays that?.

Pocahontas and Patty Murray are smarter than Maxine, but not by much.

a reply to: FyreByrd

Could be a great idea, the problem is I made it this far and stopped reading.

A new bill introduced by Democratic members of both houses of Congress will take "real action to protect families" from high prescription drug costs instead of providing a "photo op" for President Donald Trump

They need to grow TF up and stop acting like petulant children.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
Obama should have worried less about getting everyone medical insurance and worked on a plan to reduce medical costs.

Oh he wasn't worried about that either. He just wanted it to look like you were insured on paper. Who cares whether you can actually afford the deductible and physically get care or not, as long as they could claim you were "covered".

a reply to: FyreByrd



I type that We fire ALL the politicians™ regardless if they have a (R) (D) (Ind.) doesn't matter..

But then again I haven't read Twitter™ yet today to see how I'm supposed to act...

a reply to: FyreByrd

I want lower drug costs however I can get them but as others have pointed out, the insurance companies will just raise premiums to cover this. Then Warren can write another bill to cap premium rate increases.

Ideally the prices should be reduced through competition. We should let government and insurance companies bargain for reduced prices but maybe we need to change some laws also. Deregulate some of these patent laws and allow drugs from some foreign countries like Canada to be used more. Maybe even other countries if they are tested and found safe and effective.

The government should be allowed to take action when these companies profiteer off lifesaving drugs. I know they need to make money but there have been some cases in the news that looked seriously unreasonable to me. Not just the greed involved but also the way it pushes up the price of healthcare generally.

a reply to: carewemust

I'd be happy if they rolled back the prices to January 2018...Pfizer JUST raised a bunch of prices, some as much as 20%.

July 12
www.wsj.com...
www.newsmax.com...

July 3
arstechnica.com...