Xavier Becerra is Biden’s pick for HHS (Health and Human Services). Earlier this week, he took questions from Republican lawmakers, covering a wide range of topics. Probing questions related to health insurance coverage were thoroughly covered. However, the GOP avoided questions related to drug pricing, in a move that may prove concerning for pharma companies. Therapies developed to prevent and treat COVID-19 have been considered a safeguard against new drug pricing laws, but doubt remains.
“Republican lawmakers grilled Biden’s HHS nominee Xavier Becerra on all sorts of topics — from march-in rights, to abortion, to Medicare For All. But lobbyists say the lack of attention to Medicare drug-price negotiation is yet another sign that Republicans are wary of publicly opposing an issue that is so popular among voters in both parties.” Read more here.
(Source: John Wilkerson, Inside Health Policy, 3/1/21)
