Rebates negotiated by pharmacy benefit managers have saved billions of dollars for Medicare Part D, and absolutely no evidence supports claims that drugmakers will cut prices if rebates are outlawed, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association President and CEO Mark Merritt said. "Simply eliminating plans' ability to negotiate such price concessions would enrich drugmakers at the expense of patients, who'd face higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs." Drugmakers' high list prices are offset by rebates negotiated by pharmacy benefit managers, which saved Medicare Part D subscribers $34.9 billion in premiums from 2014 to 2018.

America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) agree with the administration and patients. The most direct way to reduce costs and improve access to prescription drugs is for drugmakers to cut their prices. See PCMA's ad.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said Pfizer should permanently reduce prices and not merely delay price increases that the company had begun to implement before rolling them back. Pfizer should stop "playing games" with drug prices and "make a firm and clear commitment" to reducing prices, Baldwin wrote in a letter to Pfizer CEO Ian Read.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said he is talking with HHS Secretary Alex Azar about how to resume Affordable Care Act risk adjustment payments after the administration suspended them earlier this month. House lawmakers intend to consider a number of health care bills next week, including legislation to expand health savings accounts and postpone or repeal certain Affordable Care Act taxes, but Brady said he's not sure if a risk adjustment fix will be among the measures.

Mylan significantly reduced the price on its generic version of Teva's Copaxone, and some customers are asking Teva to reduce its price accordingly, says Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal.