US Capitol Capsule: White House Medicare Rx horse trading pays off
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Last summer, the White House was highly criticized for the behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing it conducted in 2009 with the biopharmaceutical industry and other health care sectors over what eventually became the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But those negotiations four years ago resulted in a deal that has paid off in a big way – with Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the Part D prescription drug program saving a total of $2.5 billion last year on branded medicines, with another 2.8 million seniors and disabled Americans garnering $105 million in discounts for generics.