On Drug Prices, Harris Pushes for Deeper Cuts While Trump Offers Few Specifics
The New York Times
Both have campaigned for lower prescription costs. Kamala Harris has promised to expand President Biden’s policies. Donald Trump is a wild card.
Insulin for $35 a month. A limit of $2,000 a year in out-of-pocket drug costs for older Americans. Billions of dollars in savings for Medicare resulting from drug negotiations.
Whether these policies expand or, in the case of the negotiations, survive at all may be determined by the election in November.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has vowed to extend President Biden’s policies to more drugs and more Americans. She plans to use savings from expanding negotiations to help pay for a sweeping new proposal that would cover long-term care at home for people on Medicare.
Former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, is a wild card. He has offered few specifics about what he would do on drug pricing.
Last week, he reversed his position on a policy he had proposed in his first term that rattled pharmaceutical companies: tying drug prices to what other wealthy countries pay. In a second term, he would face pressure from some Republicans to undo Mr. Biden’s Medicare negotiation program — although he once promoted the same thing.
Drug pricing has not featured prominently in a presidential campaign that has been dominated by immigration, abortion and the economy. Mr. Trump, in particular, rarely talks about the issue. Nor is it top of mind for many voters.
