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The Trump Administration today announced several executive orders on drug pricing including a “most favored nation” (MFN) proposal to impose an international pricing index (IPI) on Medicare Part B drugs. This proposal will tie the prices we pay for drugs to the prices in foreign, socialist countries.

ATR President Grover Norquist released the following statement in opposition to this proposal:

“A most favored nation proposal would slow medical innovation, threaten American jobs, and undermine conservative opposition to Medicare-for-All.

“President Trump has consistently opposed efforts that would lead to a government takeover of America’s health care—such as the “Medicare-for-All” scheme pushed by Democrats in Congress and on the campaign trial. As recently as his 2020 State of the Union Address, the President promised ‘We will never let socialism destroy American health care.’

“Rather than fighting these socialist policies, a MFN would adopt them. This will have disastrous consequences to the economy and health care system and to the broader effort to fight against the government takeover of health care.

“The order is not set to be effective until August 24.  Between now and then we urge the President to explore ways to shift to a market-based approach like those the Trump Administration has consistently supported in other areas of healthcare.”

See also: Norquist op-ed in RealClearHealth – “Now Is the Time to Fight the Government Takeover of Health Care, Not Surrender to It”