Lawmakers Take Up Medicare for All Bill

The House Rules committee held the first hearing on a proposal to create a national health program that would allow HHS to negotiate drug prices.

Democrats have dubbed their proposal “Medicare for All” and the April 30 hearing marked the first time in decades that Congress has seriously considered such a program.

Even its supporters agree that the proposal would add trillions in government spending, but experts at the hearing disagreed about its impact on spending.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce also held a hearing in which Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) Director James Mathews offered the  independent federal body’s recommendations for improving Medicare Part B and D. These included fining manufacturers that don’t report average sales price (ASP) data and a rebate requirement for drugmakers whose drug prices grow at an excessive rate.