Drug Price Reform May Be Doomed Without Standalone Bill

  • Dec 22, 2021

    Drug pricing reform hit another major roadblock on Dec. 19, as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he would not support the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) in its current form. While drug pricing reforms are more likely than many of the dozens of policies included in the bill to pass Congress, D.C. health care insiders tell AIS Health that there still are barriers that could prevent such provisions from ever making it through the Senate.

    The BBBA is a massive package that includes most of President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda. In its latest form, the bill would cost in the neighborhood of $2 trillion. Manchin, a centrist, has objected to the large price tag. The Senate has an even partisan split, meaning no member of the Democrats’ caucus can vote against the BBBA, as all the chamber’s Republican members have come out against it — giving Manchin (and each other member of the Democratic caucus) an effective veto over the bill.

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  • Peter Johnson

    Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.

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