Medicare, NIH pricing bills coming

The Progressive Caucus, a group of left-of-center Democrats, announced on Wednesday that they will introduce Medicare prescription drug legislation soon. The legislation covers all Medicare recipients, regardless of income level, pays 80 percent of the costs of prescription drugs and caps out of pocket expenses at $1,600 per year. The bill includes provisions that are intended to limit the government's cost for drugs, including mandatory volume pricing discounts that couple Medicare prices to those paid by the Veterans Administration and Medicaid. The bill also would require the inclusion of "reasonable pricing" provisions in agreements between NIH and the private sector, and it will authorize the reimportation of drugs from countries that impose price controls. ...