On Thursday, President Trump unveiled his America First healthcare plan, by signing an executive order.
As part of the President’s plan, on HHS:
· Issued a final rule - PDF and guidance - PDF from the Food and Drug Administration to open the first-ever pathway for states to use to safely import prescription drugs to lower patients drug costs.
· Solicited private-sector proposals, as called for in the President’s July executive order, on allowing Americans to get lower-cost FDA-approved drugs - PDF and insulins - PDF from American pharmacies via importation and reimportation.
· Released the 2021 Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Premium landscape, showing that average 2021 premiums for Medicare Advantage plans are expected to decline 34.2 percent from 2017 while plan choice, benefits, and enrollment continue to increase, and that Part D premiums will be down 12 percent from 2017, with over 1,600 drug plans offering insulin at no more than $35 per month.
· Issued a notice of proposed rulemaking from the Health Resources and Services Administration to pass on steep discounts at community health centers on insulin and epinephrine to Americans who are uninsured or have high cost-sharing, including the nearly three million health center patients with diabetes.
