If you like money in your hand, then get ready for this! President Trump is preparing to sign two bills that will attack the “gag order” clauses that have prevented pharmacies from sharing money-saving secrets with customers.
When you go to a pharmacy, you can buy a prescription at the rate your insurance has agreed to pay, or you can pay what the pharmacy has agreed to pay cash for. Sometimes the pharmacy has a lower rate, but there was a “gag order” clause that prevented pharmacists from being allowed to tell you if they could sell you the prescription at a lower price.
Trump’s two bills will alleviate the gag order and permit pharmacists to inform customers if they can save a few dollars one way or the other.
That’s called winning and being all about getting more cash in the hands of hard-working American citizens.
According to NBC News, “the bills — one for Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and another for commercial employer-based and individual policies— were passed by Congress in nearly unanimous votes last month. A spokesman for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said her office had been told that the president would sign the bills Wednesday. The White House declined to comment.
“Americans deserve to know the lowest drug price at their pharmacy, but ‘gag clauses’ prevent your pharmacist from telling you!” Trump wrote on Twitter three weeks ago, shortly before the Senate voted on the bills. “I support legislation that will remove gag clauses.” The change was one of the proposals included in Trump’s blueprint to cut prescription drug prices issued in May.
Ronna Hauser, vice president of payment policy and regulatory affairs at the National Community Pharmacists Association, said many members of her group “say a pharmacy benefit manager will call them with a warning if they are telling patients it’s less expensive” without insurance. She said pharmacists could be fined for violating their contracts and even dropped from insurance networks.”
Expect blowback from the big pharmaceutical companies if they lose too much money.
What’s crazy is that the big drug companies will still make tons of money because they’re selling the product no matter what, and they often do so at majorly inflated prices.
It’s horrendous how cheap it is for some companies to make certain prescription drugs, but then the price for them in the store is often outrageous and some people can barely afford to live. Some can’t afford their medicine and go into debt.
Trump’s new bills will hopefully put some wealth back into the pockets of Americans who need prescriptions.
Hopefully, this helps Americans enjoy their life just a little bit more.
Sometimes those pharmacy prices are so high it’s hard to just get by.
Let’s stay tuned to see when Trump signs the two bills and how long it takes for the pharmacy gag order clause to be uplifted.
