Late last week, President Trump
announced the signing of four Executive Orders to lower
prescription drug prices for patients. The high cost of
life-saving prescription drugs, like insulin, has been considered
a crisis by many patients, physicians and lawmakers.
The Administration signed four distinctive orders to combat this
crisis. The first Executive Order, directs federally qualified
health centers to pass discounts received from drug companies for
insulin and epinephrine to low-income Americans such as those who
are underinsured or receive Medicare and Medicaid.
The second Executive Order will allow State plans to safely
import certain drugs from other countries when it will result in
lower costs for patients. The third Executive Order will prohibit
secret deals between drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit
manager middlemen, ensuring patients directly benefit from
available discounts at the pharmacy counter.
The fourth and final Order with an implementation date of August
24, 2020 will ensure that the United States pays the lowest
price available in economically comparable countries for Medicare
Part B drugs. The Administration acknowledged prescription drug
prices continue to be a major concern and indicated the orders
were a step in the right direction.
