Aside from "one unfortunate ruling," the Democrats' reconciliation bill (the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022") continues to overcome potential obstacles and moves forward:
The Senate parliamentarian narrowed Democrats’ plan for curbing drug prices but left it mostly unscathed Saturday, Democrats said, as party leaders prepared to start moving their sprawling economic bill through the chamber.
Elizabeth MacDonough, the chamber’s rules arbiter, said provisions must be removed that would force drugmakers to pay rebates if their prices rise above inflation for products they sell to private insurers. Pharmaceutical companies would have to pay those penalties if their prices for drugs bought by Medicare rise too high.
Other restrictions on rising pharmaceutical costs survived, including letting Medicare negotiate costs for the drugs it buys, capping seniors’ out-of-pocket expenses and providing free vaccines.
“This is a major victory for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “While there was one unfortunate ruling in that the inflation rebate is more limited in scope, the overall program remains intact and we are one step closer to finally taking on Big Pharma and lowering Rx drug prices for millions of Americans.”
Sen. Sinema was waiting for the parliamentarian's green light before she would firmly commit to voting for the landmark economic/ prescription drug/ health care/ and climate change bill. Sen. Schumer is now set to begin the process of muscling the bill through the Senate over the next few days, before it moves to the House on Friday.
(Photo: something to crow about/ Kevin Dietsch, via Getty Images)
