(Bedminster) The election campaign turned to Americans’ wallets on Thursday. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden praised the drug price negotiation in front of a crowd of supporters. Donald Trump criticized his opponents’ economic record, calling them “communists,” in a late afternoon press conference.
“No senior in America should have to choose between getting a prescription drug or paying their rent,” the Democratic presidential candidate thundered at a rally in Maryland.
Mme Harris and Mr. Biden touted reaching an agreement on the price of 10 drugs for beneficiaries of Medicare, the health insurance program for Americans 65 and older and those with specific health conditions, which covers more than 65 million people.
United Front
It was their first joint address since Mr Biden withdrew his presidential candidacy – as US media reported in recent days tensions between the president and leading figures in the Democratic Party convinced him to drop out of the race.
“There is a lot of love in this room for our president,” Mr.me Harris.
“She’s going to be quite the president,” Biden said of his vice president, taking the opportunity to take a few jabs at Republicans.
Balance sheets
The drug price negotiation stems from a law passed in 2022 — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were quick to point out the lack of Republican support, in a Senate that was then divided 50-50. As vice president, it was Kamala Harris who held the deciding vote to allow the passage of this Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
On the Democratic side, Thursday was about highlighting Mr.me Harris as vice president and to underscore the party’s concern for Americans’ budgets. The Republican camp took the opportunity to recall the rising costs under the current administration and the role of Kamala Harris.
“Kamala Harris is a radical California liberal who broke the economy, broke the border and, quite frankly, broke the world,” Donald Trump said.
Insults
He called his opponent’s ideas a “communist system.” “She wants to destroy Medicare, she wants to destroy Social Security,” he said in his speech in New Jersey.
The former president consulted his notes to criticize the Democrats’ record, a contrast to his last news conference; his insults and his tendency to compare crowd sizes rather than talk about concrete policies would not go down well with some Republicans.
PHOTO JEENAH MOON, REUTERS
Former President Donald Trump held a press conference in front of boxes of food and a chart showing rising prices on Thursday.
But during the question period from journalists, he returned to the charge. Asked about his invectives, he replied: “I think I am entitled to personal attacks.”
Boxes of food and a graph showing rising prices were placed next to him, recalling the economic theme of his lecture.
An uncertain scope
Democrats have touted the drug cost negotiation as a major victory in the fight against Big Pharma.
But to health policy experts, the significance of Thursday’s announcement seemed uncertain, beyond the potential political gains.
“It’s not clear how drug price negotiations help seniors, but it is clear that seniors are now experiencing an increase in the cost of the premiums they have to pay right now,” said Ge Bai, a professor at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. “And negotiations may also have a chilling effect on drugmakers on research and development down the road.”
The expert in health policy and management recalls the “partisan” side of the law which allowed this negotiation and fears that not all the issues were taken into consideration.
“This is a very important law in the United States, because traditionally the government does not get involved in the price of drugs,” said Joey Mattingly of the Department of Pharmacy at the University of Utah.
But because there was already a difference between the official cost of the drugs and the price paid, due to a system of discounts offered by manufacturers, the negotiated prices posted Thursday on the White House website did not appear, at first glance, very different from those already paid, added the specialist in drug pricing.
These prices are due to come into effect in 2026.