Top Trump administration officials will meet Friday to nail down ideas for executive actions President Trump can take to rein in rising drug prices — a way to try to fulfill a campaign promise without waiting on Congress.
Who will be there: It's being led by Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney, and will include Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price and National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, per a source familiar with the meeting. Andrew Bremberg, the director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is also heavily involved in the effort.
Why it matters: Trump has been prodding his team for months to come up with actions he can take on his own. A strong set of executive actions could give him a chance to push a more populist health care agenda, and maybe even change the subject from the troubled Affordable Care Act repeal bill.
What he might do: A leading idea the officials are looking at, according to Bloomberg, would promote "value-based" drug pricing — in which insurers pay for drugs based on how well they work on specific diseases and patients.
Per a White House official: "Rising drug prices are a main concern for American consumers and an issue the President has been consistently vocal about addressing. The President and his team are committed to creating an environment that is conducive to innovation and improving patients health outcomes."
