House Democrats’ drug pricing bill is opening gambit

House Democrats’ reintroduction of H.R. 3 is the opening move in what is certain to be a long, complex competition over drug pricing legislation.

There is no chance that the bill, which mandates Medicare drug price negotiations, extends negotiated prices to private payers and establishes an international drug reference pricing scheme, will be enacted as stand-along legislation because it will not receive sufficient support among Senate Republicans to overcome a filibuster. ...