ACTION ALERT: Congress is considering a 1,000+ page year-end spending bill that hands Democrats a win AND sneaks through Big Pharma’s $32 BILLION money grab from America’s seniors.
It’s time to sound the alarm. Tell Congress: Stand up to Big Pharma, stop “delinking” and protect seniors from higher premiums!
Big Pharma’s top legislative priority for the lame duck is a massive money grab from America’s seniors that would boost drug company profits.
Big Pharma wants Congress to pass “delinking” which would take away the market-based incentives that encourage pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to secure greater rebate savings, leading to increased premiums for seniors in the Medicare Part D program of a staggering $13 billion annually, according to University of Chicago Professor of Economics Casey Mulligan, Ph.D.
Donald Trump Jr. and incoming White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino exposed the “delinking” scheme:
The Paragon Health Institute, one of the preeminent conservative health care think tanks in America, recently shared their priorities for Congress in the lame duck session, and proposals policymakers should avoid. In their recommendations, the Paragon Health Institute urged Congress to oppose Big Pharma’s “delinking” scheme:
“Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) negotiate rebates on drugs for insurers and receive as compensation a percentage of the overall rebate. These rebates reduce both total drug spending and premiums. Congress is considering eliminating this practice in Medicare Part D by ‘delinking’ PBM revenue from the rebate in Part D plans. We recommend against delinking PBM revenue from rebates, because it is key incentive for PBMs to negotiate the best price on drugs possible.”
See more about what the Paragon Institute had to say HERE.
Policies targeting rebates were floated in 2019 and scuttled thanks to President-elect Trump’s leadership to protect America’s seniors from projected premium hikes.
Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA and host of the Charlie Kirk show, urged conservatives to reject the $32 billion financial windfall for pharma on his show:
“Big Pharma and the far left are scrambling to fast track a big government scheme to eliminate free market forces in health care before the GOP can take control of the White House and Congress. This pharma-backed scheme called ‘delinking’ would hand a massive $32 billion windfall to the biggest drug companies, and guess who would pay? Hard working consumers, seniors and taxpayers.”
Conservative radio host Larry Elder echoed concerns over “delinking” on The Larry Elder Show:
“Our fight isn’t over. I’m asking for your help … Congress must reject Pharma’s scheme to boost drug company profits, keep drug prices high, undermine competition in health care and hike health care costs for the American people.”
Hugh Hewitt, conservative political commentator and former deputy director and general counsel of the Office of Personnel Management in the Reagan administration, said on The Hugh Hewitt Show:
“I worry about Big Pharma in the dead of night in the lame duck getting a windfall by ‘delinking’ … it’s an effort for Big Pharma to cripple the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), it’s an effort by Big Pharma to get billions of dollars, $32 billion, and who pays? You and I pay.”
Other conservatives across the nation are sounding the alarm on Big Pharma’s “delinking” scheme, including former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Senator Pat Toomey:
See more about the origins of “delinking” HERE.
Learn more about Big Pharma’s “delinking” scheme that would saddle patients and taxpayers with higher health care costs to bail out big drug companies HERE.
