Drug prices are a pressing policy issue. On November 20, 2020, President Donald Trump announced two new rules aimed at reducing drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. These rules use a system known as reference pricing, which ties the price the federal government pays for patented drugs and treatments to the prices other countries pay. These rules are set to take effect in January 2021. Meanwhile, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives and supported by Speaker Nancy Pelosi would create an International Pricing Index. These policies enjoy bipartisan support, but they also face bipartisan opposition. Some think the Trump rules do not go far enough and others argue that reference pricing is bad policy regardless. Two distinguished experts who have worked and written extensively on this issue, Prof. Adam Mossoff and Dr. Wendell Primus, join us for a moderated discussion of reference pricing, current policy proposals, and future challenges.
Featuring:
-- Prof. Adam Mossoff, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University; Senior Scholar, Hudson Institute; Visiting Fellow, Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, The Heritage Foundation
-- Dr. Wendell Primus, Senior Policy Advisor on Budget and Health Issues, Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Former Minority Staff Director, Joint Economic Committee
-- Moderator: Hon. Dean A. Reuter, Vice President, General Counsel, and Director of Practice Groups, The Federalist Society