Joel White was quoted in The New York Times about the environment surrounding the upcoming list of ten drugs subject to government price controls.
“Republicans opposed the drug pricing provisions, which they regard as a form of government price control. But the politics of the issue are treacherous for them. Because so many Americans are concerned about high drug prices, it is hard for Republicans to come to the industry’s defense, said Joel White, a Republican strategist with expertise in health policy.
Instead, Republicans are focused on another priority of the drug industry: scrutinizing the practices of pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate prices with drug companies on behalf of health plans. The drug companies say that by taking a middleman’s cut, the pharmacy benefit managers are contributing to the high cost of prescription medicines.”