Biden administration officials on Thursday downplayed criticisms and potential adverse effects of their sweeping Inflation Reduction Act, which—for the first time—will give Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices for more than 65 million program beneficiaries.
After early provisions of the IRA kicked in this week, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and officials of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services held a press briefing to tout the benefits of the new law.
“Never before have we told the public that we’re going to have the right to negotiate drug prices so that we can get them a better deal,” ...