Page 10 - HOH UPDATED

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 25 February 2019
Congress mulls cap on what Medicare enrollees pay for drugs

By RICARDO ALONSO- national health care de-
ZALDIVAR bates, and his organization
Associated Press represents a cross-section
WASHINGTON (AP) — With of interest groups. "There is
health care a top issue for a common recognition of a
American voters, Congress problem, and also a sense
may actually be moving that they want to move
toward doing something something this year," he
this year to address the high said.
cost of prescription drugs. At issue is the Medicare
President Donald Trump, prescription benefit's "cat-
Democrats trying to retire astrophic" protection. Ex-
him in 2020, and congres- perts say it was intended as
sional incumbents of both a safeguard but isn't work-
parties all say they want ing that way, either for ben-
action. Democrats and Re- eficiaries or taxpayers.
publicans are far apart on Catastrophic protection
whether to empower Medi- was enacted before the
care to negotiate prices, advent of drugs costing
but there's enough overlap $1,000 a pill. It kicks in after
to allow for agreement in beneficiaries have spent
other areas. about $5,100 on medica-
High on the list is capping Retired public school teacher Gail Orcutt, of Altoona, Iowa, looks over some of the prescription tions, under a complex for-
out-of-pocket costs for drugs she takes, Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, in Altoona, Iowa. mula.
participants in Medicare's Associated Press After that, the beneficia-
popular Part D prescription ry is only responsible for 5
drug program , which has Senate Finance Commit- vanced lung cancer due nesses with varied policy percent of the cost of the
a loophole that's left some tee, which oversees Medi- to radon exposure. Al- views concurred on limit- medication, and taxpayers'
beneficiaries with bills rival- care. "Out-of-pocket costs though she has Medicare ing drug costs for Medicare share rises to 80 percent.
ing a mortgage payment. are a concern of ours, par- prescription coverage, she beneficiaries. "This is still the The patient's insurer covers
The effort to cap out-of- ticularly at the catastrophic paid $2,600 in January for only program that does not the remaining 15 percent.
pocket costs in Medicare's level." His committee has her cancer medication provide that protection to The problem for beneficia-
prescription plan is be- summoned CEOs from sev- and will pay about $750 its beneficiaries," testified ries is that there's no dollar
ing considered as part of en pharmaceutical com- monthly for the rest of the economist Joe Antos of the limit to what they must pay.
broader legislation to re- panies to a hearing Tues- year. She said it cost more business-oriented Ameri- For example, 5 percent of
strain drug prices. day. last year for a different drug can Enterprise Institute. a drug that costs $200,000
Limits on high medical and While Grassley said he — $3,200 initially and then The House committee also a year works out to $10,000.
drug bills are already part of hasn't settled on a specific about $820 monthly. oversees Medicare. Numerous experts also
most employer-based and approach, the committee's Someday her current drug Before the hearing, the say there's a problem for
private insurance. They're top Democrat, Oregon may stop working, said Or- committee's chairman and taxpayers. Generally, the
called "out-of-pocket maxi- Sen. Ron Wyden, recently cutt, and then she'd have top Republican released a Medicare prescription ben-
mums" and are required introduced legislation that to go on a different medi- joint statement unusual in efit is financed with a mix of
under the Obama-era would cap out-of-pocket cation. "What if that is two polarized times: "We agree government subsidies and
health law for in-network costs at about $2,650 for or three times what I'm pay- that the time is now to beneficiary premiums. But
services. But Medicare has Medicare beneficiaries ing now?" she said. "It's not take meaningful action to in the catastrophic portion,
remained an outlier even taking brand-name drugs. sustainable. The country lower the cost of prescrip- most of the bill is passed
as prices have soared for One co-sponsor is Minne- needs more problem-solv- tion drugs in the U.S. health directly to taxpayers. That
potent new brand-name sota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ing for the common good care system," said Reps. neutralizes the incentive for
drugs, as well as older a Democratic presidential and not the corporate bot- Richard Neal, D-Mass., and insurers to negotiate lower
mainstays such as insulin. candidate. tom line." Kevin Brady, R-Texas. prices with drugmakers.
"The issue has my attention," In Des Moines, Iowa, retired At a recent House Ways John Rother of the National Catastrophic is the fastest
said Sen. Charles Grassley, special education teacher and Means Committee Coalition on Health Care growing cost for Medicare's
R-Iowa, chairman of the Gail Orcutt is battling ad- hearing, three expert wit- is a longtime participant in Part D.q
Trump extends China tariff deadline, cites progress in talks

By PAUL WISEMAN AND March 1." from 10 to 25 percent, if the The two counties have of negotiated agreement,
CATHERINE LUCEY Trump said that if negotia- two sides failed to reach slapped import taxes on even if it is a partial one,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- tions progress, he will meet a deal. The increase was hundreds of billions of dol- in the coming weeks," said
dent Donald Trump said with Chinese President Xi scheduled to take effect at lars of each other's goods. Cornell University econo-
Sunday he will extend a Jinping at his Florida resort 12:01 a.m. EST on March 2. The conflict has shaken mist Eswar Prasad, former
deadline to escalate tar- to finalize an agreement. The world's two biggest financial markets and head of the International
iffs on Chinese imports, cit- U.S. and Chinese negotia- economies have been clouded the outlook for the Monetary Fund's China di-
ing "substantial progress" tors met through the week- locked in a conflict over global economy, putting vision.
in weekend talks between end as they seek to resolve U.S. allegations that China pressure on Trump and Xi to But business groups and
the two countries. a trade war that's rattled steals technology and forc- reach a deal. lawmakers in Congress
Trump tweeted that there financial markets. es foreign companies to "Trump clearly wants a deal want to see a compre-
had been "productive Trump had warned he hand over trade secrets in and so do the Chinese, hensive deal that forces
talks," adding that "I will be would escalate the tariffs an aggressive push to chal- which certainly raises the the Chinese to change
delaying the U.S. increase he has imposed on $200 lenge American techno- probability that the two their behavior and can be
in tariffs now scheduled for billion in Chinese imports, logical dominance. sides will come to some sort enforced.q