On Friday, Trump announced a deal with nine major pharmaceutical companies to significantly lower the prices of their drugs for the government's Medicaid program and for patients paying out-of-pocket. This is Trump's latest effort to bring U.S. drug prices closer to those in other wealthy countries. The pharmaceutical companies involved include Bristol Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck, Genentech, a U.S. subsidiary of Roche, Novartis, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, and GSK. Currently, prescription drug costs paid by American patients are far higher than in other developed countries, often approaching three times that of others. Trump has been pressuring pharmaceutical companies to lower U.S. drug prices to match the levels paid by patients in other countries. After reaching the above agreement, most pharmaceutical company stocks still rose by 1% to 3%, as these agreements eliminated the threat of Trump tariffs in the next three years, while investors downplayed the impact of the White House's claim that prices could be reduced by up to 70% from the list price, because pharmaceutical companies already offer significant post-price discounts.
High medical costs are one of the most concerning issues for American citizens. According to the latest AP-NORC poll, about four in ten Americans listed "being able to afford medical care" as an issue they hope the government will focus on in the new year. At the same time, after work on Friday, lawmakers left Washington to return to their constituencies for the holiday recess, meaning that the subsidies under the Affordable Care Act are unlikely to be extended before the end of the year, which could lead to a sharp increase in premiums for millions of Americans in 2026.
This poll also shows that older Americans are more concerned about healthcare issues. Younger adults are more concerned about housing prices. Since last year, Democrats have been more focused on immigration issues than Republicans.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/1852002085579914/
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