Donald Trump Might Have Just Saved American Healthcare
It’s not new information at this juncture in time to point out that Donald Trump is not your standard issue Republican politician.
From a campaign (and arguably a life) riddled with controversy that has pretty much cast aside the classic conservative imagery of ‘family values’ to a political platform that eschews traditional – and politically dangerously archaic – Republican mainstays; Donald Trump has done things differently.
And honestly, whether it’s being the first President to breach the gap with a slowly thawing North Korea to an utterly booming economy despite the academically dreaded ‘trade wars’ he has engaged in garnering support of traditionally Democrat blue collar union workers, taken the path less traveled has worked out for Trump more than it hasn’t.
President Trump isn’t the most charming character at times but it’s undeniable he’s displayed a propensity to get things done as a member of a legislatively dysfunctional party in a dysfunctional political system. But while healthcare to date has ranked as one of his – and more so his Republican Congress’ – biggest setbacks in the wake of the dramatic downfall of a decidedly less than appealing AHCA; Trump genuinely may have just announced a ‘Yuge’ game changing proposal to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Forbes reports,
Yesterday, the Trump administration unveiled a new proposal to substantially reduce the price of certain costly drugs administered under Medicare, by linking what Medicare pays for these drugs to what other industrialized countries pay. It’s a stunning move that could entirely reshape the way the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries think about their business model.
The Trump proposal would address the problems in Medicare Part B in two principal ways. First, it would eliminate the 6 percent doctor commission for Medicare Part B drugs, and replace it with a fixed fee. In this way, doctors would be reimbursed the same amount for administering a costly drug or an inexpensive one: strongly incentivizing them to administer more affordable medicines with lower inventory costs.
Second, it would link Medicare Part B prices to an International Pricing Index based on sixteen other countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
It cannot be emphasized enough how absolutely earth shaking such a measure would be for the US. Skyrocketing healthcare expenses already threaten to run public entitlement programs into the ground, despite citizens having paid in the entire duration of their employment.
The program would be under the jurisdiction of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, an agency ironically created by his predecessor Barrack Obama as part of the oft maligned ACA. The pilot would cover half of the U.S. population, and the administration estimates that the plan could reduce Medicare Part B spending by $17 billion over the next five years.
Much more impactful however is the complete overhaul of US doctrine to *actually negotiate* drug pricing.
See, when it comes to drug prices in the US, we pay a disgustingly extortionate amount compared to other comparably developed countries; even Canada just next door. This is because US entitlement program – namely Medicaid and Medicare – cannot have any say in pricing whatsoever. In fact, in what can only be explained as the work of lobbyist cronies, the US public sector must adhere to a pricing system created *by the pharmaceutical corporations*.
Enter the Master of ‘The Deal’
I’m quite literally bursting with excitement at the potential outcomes for the future this policy, and more importantly doctrine, change could mean for our absolute wreck of a healthcare system. This is objectively brilliant policymaking.
I myself don’t – and haven’t – ranked amongst what one might coin ‘the pro Trump’ crowd; nor in fact the Republican party at large. But mark my words and make no mistake he’ll have my vote and unwavering support irrespective of how many ill-advised comments and tweets it entails.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) have already come out zealously against this in an effort to halt what could finally end their leeching off the American public.
This is it folks: Trump vs. ‘The Swamp’s’ most powerful entities. If you are a Trump supporter, or just desperately want a decent insurance policy for a fair price, you NEED to tell him this is the right thing; what real Americans have wanted for decades.
If the powers that be are unable to contain the power of sound policy combined with Trump’s natural enigmatic charisma we might truly be on the cusp of watching Donald J. Trump, Make America Great Again.
I’m Behind Him all the way.
Me too!
It is time to stop the Gravy Train for Drug Companies, hopefully over paid lobbyists will lose jobs also.
THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT FOR YOUR SUGGESTED MEDICAL CHANGES.
He is the best always thinking of America and its citizens
BRILLIANT IDEA PRESIDENT TRUMP.***
What are the leftists not getting?♀️
Another promise made and kept, Thank You Mr. President !!!
I am so tired of being screwed by lobbyist’s and politician’s who only want to get rich off our backs. Our government is corrupt to the core and needs to be fixed. I don’t know if it is possible but if anyone can do it President Trump can. We need four year term limits for all of congress, that would also help end their corruption. It is pretty sad when people have to get their prescriptions from other countries because they can get them much cheaper that way. There is something very wrong with that.
Here’s the problem, and I’ve been telling this to my patients for years. The reason the US pays so much for drugs is that all the other countries pay so little. Their drug prices are set by their governments at cost plus a very small markup. As a result, the US consumer is paying the R&D bill for the entire world. The ‘best’ solution is not to arbitrarily set our prices lower, but to get the rest of the world to pay their fair share. (Good luck making that happen.) Merely forcing prices lower here will have short-term benefits (lower cost) but long-term cost (less money spent on R&D resulting in fewer new breakthrough meds in the future, from which we will all suffer).
To respond to Hank:
This point is a part of the clever plan. By asking for pricing that compares to all the other major markets, the rest of the world will be forced into sharing the load the US has been carrying for the past 50 years or more. Medical R&D is not going to get less expensive. New issues are being identified and new solutions are being developed. This needs to continue, but the benefits AND the costs must be shared by all.
Trump has a keen sense about the people and their issues, but he is a classic egomaniac. He has a lot in common with ultra-high performing artists, athletes, musicians, and actors. Always in the spotlight, always being quoted in the media.
We allow the other professionals to be non-typical, and even admire them for their personal quirks. Why not our political leaders as well? This is the USA: Anyone with the drive and work ethic to succeed has a shot at the brass ring. Let him be Trump. We let Wild Willy be Clinton, did we not?
The burden of R&D is certainly the wisest of arguments for why pharmaceuticals claim a need for high pricing, and you are absolutely correct in that the industry does have abnormally high costs in that area. However the empirical breakdown of sector financials tells us that while R&D is a significant investment at an industry average of 17%, it simply doesn’t justify the US pricing.
The US indeed currently carries a commons of medical development but changing our own pricing to be competitively indexed means we’ll do so much more fairly; after all we still inhale an absurdly massive amount of pills and medical products comparatively to the point of being a global outlier.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20170307.059036/full/
If anyone can really save our Healthcare President Trump can. He has only been in office a very short time, and just look what he has done for America already. Hang on and give he some credit for working so hard for us, not his own pockets like others have.
This plan makes perfect sense! Get rid of big Parma’s control of our health. Thank you, Mr. President!