Trump orders up cure for cost of drugs
Medicine moves touted as ‘unrigging’ of system
WASHINGTON — Unable to land the big deal with Congress to curb drug costs, President Donald Trump on Friday moved on his own to allow imports of cheaper medicines, along with other limited steps that could have some election-year appeal.
At a White House ceremony, Trump signed four executive orders. One was about importation. The others would direct drugmaker rebates straight to patients, provide insulin and Epipens at steep discounts to low-income people, and use lower international prices to pay for some Medicare drugs.
Trump cast his directives as far-reaching.
“I’m unrigging the system that is many decades old,” he declared, promising “massive” savings.
Consumers may not notice immediate changes, since the orders must be carried out by the federal bureaucracy and could face court challenges. The orders do the following:
Allow states, wholesalers and pharmacies to import Fda-approved drugs from foreign countries and sell them in the U.S. The order includes a special provision to allow wholesalers and pharmacies to reimport insulin and biological drugs.
Use the lowest price among other economically advanced countries to set what Medicare pays for certain drugs administered in a doctor’s office, including many cancer medications. This would apply to the most expensive medications covered by Medicare’s Part B, which pays for outpatient care.
Direct federally funded community health centers to pass discounts they now get for insulin and Epipens directly to low-income patients.
Ensure that rebates drugmakers now pay to benefit managers and insurers get passed directly to patients when they buy a medication.