Скачать или смотреть President announces effort to reduce prescription drug prices

WASHINGTON (WKRC) - There's a new push to reduce what we pay for certain medications at the pharmacy.

President Donald Trump stopped by the Department of Health and Human Services Thursday to announce he is pushing for changes to the way we price drugs in our country. The hope is that this will lead to lower costs for drugs that often cost less in other countries.

The president said the effort he is introducing would use the international pricing index to help control costs of medications. It is a reference point to help set up prices for medications paid for through Medicare Part B.

Health and Human Services released a report Thursday ahead of the president's speech saying that U.S. prices for many of the top drugs administered in doctors' offices are nearly twice as high as in foreign countries.

Trump says that includes many cancer drugs as well as eye medications that help prevent blindness.

"Under our new plan, the Department of Health and Human Services would allow Medicare to determine the price it pays for certain drugs based on the cheaper prices paid by other nations," Trump said.

There's no word on how soon this may happen, but it is likely to meet resistance from drugmakers and others who are not in favor of the president's announcement.