The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that President Biden had reversed several orders put in place by former President Donald Trump, including a December 2020 drug order that had been designed to bring down insulin and epinephrine discount savings to patients.
Os of 2020, more than 34.2 million Americans suffer from diabetes and another 88 million American adults have pre-diabetes. One of former President Trump’s biggest campaign promises was on lowering prices in Medicare while moving further away from big Pharma. He looked to lower drug prices like insulin, which is used to treat diabetes and epinephrine, by linking the costs of medicines to cheaper prices in other developed countries. The order also removed the gag clause that prevented pharmacists from telling patients how to buy less expensive drugs. Big Pharma opposed the order, arguing that it would bring foreign price controls to the U.S and limit access.
The measure, which was signed off in December, was scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 22, 2021, but was delayed by the Biden Administration. White House chief of staff Ron Klain had directed agencies to pause all orders that had been signed by former President Trump near the end of his term and withdraw any rules that had seen sent to the Office of Financial Research.
Norris Cochran, acting Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services, issued an official statement regarding the temporary delay. The letter explains that the new dates are “necessary” to give Department officials the opportunity for review and new regulations.
The January 20, 2021 memorandum from the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, entitled “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review,” instructed Federal agencies to delay the effective date of rules published in the Federal Register, but which have not yet taken effect, for a period of 60 days from the date of the memorandum. This final rule will apply to all health centers receiving section 330(e) grant funds that participate
“This final rule will apply to all health centers receiving section 330(e) grant funds that participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program (340B Program), (42 U.S.C. 254b and 256b), and requires such entities to make insulin and injectable epinephrine available to health center patients identified as low-income or below the same price the health center paid through the 340B Program. The effective date of that rule, which would have been January 22, 2021, is now March 22, 2021,” the letter reads.
In his first week in office, President Biden has increased the price of insulin and epinephrine, made us less energy independent, admitted he has no COVID-19 plan, and has killed around 50,000 jobs. How is any of this ‘building back better?’
