Drug coverage

I was pleased to see that President-elect Donald Trump has vowed “to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid.”

When Part D (prescription drug coverage) of Medicare was enacted under President George W. Bush, Congress capitulated to Big Pharma and forbade the government from negotiating Medicare Part D drug prices, a major cause of enormous deductibles and co-pays.

I am a retired federal employee and am fortunate to have health coverage from Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program. The program is a model partnership between government and private health insurance providers with reasonable prescription drug co-pays precisely because the government negotiates prices with drug companies.

Although I am appalled and apprehensive about the Trump presidency, if he pulls this off, it will be a good thing for millions of Americans.

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 7:48 PM with the headline "Drug coverage."