The sweeping bill will allow the U.S. government to negotiate lower prices on the costliest drugs each year.
, who is in the middle of an impeachment inquiry, has vowed to veto it. Nevertheless, the legislation will likely give voters a preview of the party's platform on health care ahead of the 2020 elections.
Current rules prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services from negotiating drug prices on behalf of Medicare — the federal government's health insurance plan for the elderly. Private insurers use pharmacy benefit managers to negotiate drug rebates from pharmaceutical manufacturers in exchange for better coverage.
Republicans and the drug industry were heavily opposed to the bill. House Republicans criticized it as highly partisan and warned that the legislation would spur the loss of lifesaving cures and medical innovation. Industry trade group PhRMA, or the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, shared similar sentiments, saying it would result in at least 56 fewer medicines.
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