Opinion: John Arnold: Trump administration’s good effort on drug rebates is bad policy
Banning rebates to pharmacy benefit managers would merely shift costs among consumers while likely granting a financial boon to drug manufacturers, writes @JohnArnoldFndtn.
Earlier this month, the Congressional Budget Office delivered bad news for anyone hoping for a quick fix on the high price of prescription drugs. The CBO projected that a rule proposed in January by the Department of Health and Human Services aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs on pharmaceuticals would actually cause federal spending to rise without cutting drug prices across the board.
The high price of prescription drugs is one of the most vexing public policy issues in Washington, and the Trump administration should, which would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from receiving rebates from manufacturers on prescription drugs, is not the answer the nation needs.
