Controlling drug costs has become a top issue for voters and candidates in the 2020 election. Democrats have argued President Donald Trump has done little to address the issue, despite it being one of his campaign promises in 2016.
Here's what The Hill reported each of the top 5 candidates in the 2020 presidential race have said they will do to control drug costs:
Joe Biden — The former vice president has said he would repeal a provision of federal law that prohibits Medicare from negotiating prices with drug companies. He also said he would limit "abusive" prices companies set for specialty drugs, which often cost thousands of dollars. The Hill reported that under Mr. Biden, HHS would establish an independent review board to assess the value of drugs and determine a price to be paid by Medicare and the public option. Prices for drugs would be limited to the rate of inflation. He also proposed letting Americans import cheaper drugs from other countries.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren — The Massachusetts senator has proposed letting the government manufacture generic drugs in cases such as when there is no competition or if there's a shortage of a particular drug, according to The Hill. She also supports "Medicare for All," which would let the government negotiate prices with drug companies. Drug companies that continue to price their drugs at what the government declares "unaffordable" prices would lose their patents and give those protections to a company that would make the drugs at a cheaper price. Ms. Warren has said her policies would bring down Medicare prices by 70 percent for brand name drugs and 30 percent for generics, according to The Hill.
Sen. Bernie Sanders — The Vermont senator has said the government should be able to negotiate prices with drug companies, according to The Hill. He supports allowing Americans, pharmacists and wholesalers to import prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. Mr. Sanders has also introduced bills in the Senate to cap what the U.S. pays for prescription drugs to match median costs of what other major countries pay. He also introduced a bill that would create the Bureau of Prescription Drug Affordability and Access, an independent federal agency that would set drug prices. According to The Hill, the agency would review information on how much it costs a drug company to develop a drug, what comparable drugs cost in other countries and any federal spending that helped develop the drug, then propose a price based off those factors. The agency could also void patents if companies don't comply with regulations, which would allow other drugmakers to make cheaper versions.
Pete Buttigieg — The mayor of South Bend, Ind., supports giving Medicare the ability to negotiate prices with drug companies, according to The Hill. His public option would allow all citizens to buy into the Medicare program and would cap out-of-pocket spending at $250 per month. It would also cap drug prices for seniors at $200 a month and there would be no copays for generic drugs for people with low incomes who have Medicare, Medicaid or the public option. According to The Hill, Mr. Buttigieg would also require drug companies to pay rebates if their prices increase faster than the rate of inflation.
Sen. Kamala Harris — The California senator also supports allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, according to The Hill. Under Ms.Harris, HHS would set a "fair price" for prescription drugs that are cheaper in other countries or if the price increases more than the cost of inflation. Any profits drug companies make from selling drugs above those prices would be taxed at a rate of 100 percent and that money would be sent back to consumers. According to The Hill, Ms. Harris has said that if Congress doesn't act to address high drug costs within the first 100 days of her administration, she would investigate pharmaceutical companies with high prices and make that information public. She has also said that if drug prices don't drop, she would allow HHS to import cheaper alternatives from countries like Canada.
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