A Republican plan to overhaul health care will reportedly include elements aimed at curbing the influence of pharmacy benefit managers as a way to help control drug costs.
Politico said that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other Republican leaders are meeting Thursday to hammer out the details of the plan, which is set to be presented at a Republican conference meeting on Dec. 9.
The news site reported that Republicans want to have their own bill to vote on as Democrats continue to apply pressure to extend enhanced ACA health insurance subsidies in to 2026, a provision that some in the GOP support.
Separately, Politico reported that Republican strategist and pollster Tony Fabrizio recently told some House Republicans during a closed-door meeting that to counter attacks on the potential ending of subsidies, they should focus on reducing drug prices.
The three major PBMs are UnitedHealth Group’s (UNH) OptumRx, Cigna’s (CI) Express Scripts, and CVS Health’s (CVS) Caremark.
