FYI - CURRENT UPDATE Medicare Drug Negotiation Current Stand In the Build, Back, Better Proposal

[GailL1]

It has been dwindled way down to even a lesser number of drugs and may not make it through to the end legislation according to the last update.

POLITICO:  10/22/2021 - Dems eye slimmed-down drug price deal to advance social spending bill

from the link ~

Congressional Democrats are watering down — and may entirely drop — a plan to have the government directly negotiate some Medicare drug prices in order to help clinch a deal on their sweeping social spending package.

. . . . Negotiations among the House, Senate and White House on drug pricing in particular have intensified in recent days, in a bid to win over key holdouts and allies of the drug industry, including Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), along with Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.)

Though the situation remains fluid, Democrats say it’s likely the final bill will involve very limited government negotiation of drug prices, and there remains the possibility it could drop out entirely.

Senior Democrats familiar with the talks also said a key pillar of the plan — an excise tax on pharmaceutical companies that don't submit to negotiations — is off the table for now, in what could be a significant victory for the industry.

Guess we will have to continue to wait to see WHAT, IF ANYTHING gets passed and which (few) drugs may reach the "negotiated" finish line.

[john258]

I must have read a different article since the one you posted tells us everything if fluid. It also correctly states that even a small step is a start. Most Fed. program improvements start as small steps and grow over time to what they were intended to be. That will happen here. No sense talking about this till we see what will be in the bill.

Here is an example of what can happen in growing. As you know Medicare Adv. was created to favor Insurance Carriers and slowly end Medicare as we know it. Well I just got my benefits package to choose my 2022 benefits. There is an Advantage program in it this time. Good anywhere in the USA. In and out of Network no cost difference. Out of network submits claims as they do to for any Insurance Co or Medicare. Includes Hearing program worth $700 per ear, plus eye glass at $200, plus cheap lasik surgery and other eye treatments. No year start exclusion, and no drug coverage gap, plus more. My saving is close to $2,000 per year over the cost I paid this year and that does not cover the eye, ear and some other discounts.

This same thing will happen  with medicare drug pricing so pass something now.