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The White House is unlikely to include a major effort to lower prescription drug prices in its upcoming legislative package, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.
Why it matters: Such a measure would allow Medicare to negotiate the price of drugs and is expected to lower U.S. drug spending by billions of dollars — which has been a top Democratic priority for years.
- Congressional leaders have been pushing for the Biden administration to include the measure, which is fiercely opposed by the drug industry, in its upcoming spending and tax package.
- "Disagreements among Democrats about how to use the savings generated by drug-price negotiation has complicated its path forward," per WSJ.
What we're watching: The proposal is expected to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that Congress temporarily strengthened earlier this year, per the Post.
- And nothing is set in stone on drug prices.