Kaine Statement On Trump Administration Embracing His Prescription Drug Price Recommendation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement:

“I’m encouraged that HHS, through the Innovation Center created by the Affordable Care Act, embraced my recommendation to create a pilot program to test new ways to bring down drug prices. I urge interested stakeholders to weigh in with their feedback by providing comments for the Administration to review as it continues to develop the proposal for international reference pricing. I also hope the Administration will back our bill that would allow Medicare negotiation in Part D so more Americans could benefit from lower prices.”

During a HELP Committee hearing in June, Kaine made the case to Secretary Azar that the U.S. should adopt a ‘best price contract’ policy to ensure Americans are not forced to pay more for prescription drugs than patients in other nations. At the time, when Azar expressed skepticism, Kaine suggested that HHS pursue a pilot program. This week, Azar cited Kaine’s recommendation as the Trump Administration announced its new international reference pricing policy. Kaine is also a co-sponsor of legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate the best possible price of prescription drugs for seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D.

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