Illustration: Megan Robinson/Axios
Senate Finance Ranking Member Ron Wyden is pointing to President-elect Trump's criticism of PBMs as a reason to revive a committee-passed reform measure that was dropped from negotiations on the CR.
Why it matters: Changes like delinking PBM compensation from the price of a drug in Medicare Part D or preventing the use of spread pricing in Medicaid could provide valuable spending offsets in reconciliation or another government funding bill.
What they're saying: "Donald Trump was telling everybody who would listen, 'We gotta go after these big guys, and they're making too much money and we've gotta demolish them,'" Wyden told Axios on Tuesday, referencing comments Trump made at a press conference in December attacking PBMs.
- "So I hope that the rhetoric of that week before the vote, he said it repeatedly … that we can actually turn that into passing a bill," Wyden said.
What's next: Wyden said he's targeting the March government funding package as a vehicle.
- New Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo is also pointing to PBMs as a priority.
- "Efforts to enact much-needed PBM reform will continue, as certain problematic practices jeopardize the viability and financial stability of pharmacies, driving up costs for consumers," he said in a statement yesterday announcing his priorities as chair.
The bottom line: But as we wrote last week, broader congressional dysfunction could again derail the health package.
