Here are the first 10 subject to new Medicare reforms

The White House announced today the first 10 drugs subject to new Medicare price negotiations, after a law was passed allowing the government to lean on drug companies for a better deal.

The move could save taxpayers billions of dollars in the first year alone. And it’s supported by a majority of Americans, at a time when many are struggling to meet the mounting cost of some lifesaving prescription drugs.

The drugs on the list are among the most costly to the Medicare Part D program — Eliquis, for example, is a blood-thinning medication that saw the government running up a $6.2 billion tab in 2021.

“The selected drugs account for about $50 billion, or about 20%, of total Part D gross Medicare spending, and over 8 million people with Medicare prescription drug coverage use these 10 drugs,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“This is your mother with diabetes, your father with cardiovascular disease, your great aunt with rheumatoid arthritis,” Brooks-LaSure added.

Negotiated rates could save $3.7 billion in the first year alone, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, and more than $100 billion over the next decade.

The price negotiations were included in the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022. The lower prices are scheduled to go into effect in January 2026.

Americans across the political spectrum agree that Medicare drug prices should be negotiated, according to a new poll from West Health and Gallup.

“No matter who they vote for, Americans are suffering from the high costs of prescription drugs,” Tim Lash, president of West Health, a nonprofit group of health care advocates, said in a news release.

The survey, conducted between May 30 and June 6, questioned 2,145 adults living in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia.

The results were clear — 83% of Americans are in favor of the price negotiations about to begin.

Even when separated by party affiliation, Americans still overwhelmingly agree: 95% of Democrats, 76% of Independents and 75% of Republicans all favor drug price negotiations.

The only groups that don’t agree with the price negotiations are drug companies.

Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck and other groups are suing the government to halt the negotiation process, claiming the move is unconstitutional.

“The IRA’s policies put an artificial deadline on innovation, threatening intellectual property protections and shortening the timeframe to deepen our understanding of patients’ unmet medical needs,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement.

“This is not ‘negotiation.’ It is tantamount to extortion,” Merck said in its lawsuit, filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Merck suit argues that drugmakers will be forced to negotiate prices for drugs at below-market rates, violating the Fifth Amendment, which requires the government to offer compensation when private property is taken for public use.

Of the first 10 prescription drugs that will be subject to price negotiations, several are diabetes drugs: Jardiance, Farxiga, Januvia and six brands of insulin made by Novo Nordisk are on the list.

Eliquis and Xarelto, both blood thinners used to prevent stroke, also made the list, as did Entresto (heart failure), Enbrel (rheumatoid arthritis), Stelara (Crohn’s disease) and Imbruvica (blood cancer).

Advocates insist the controversial reforms will save lives — West Health states that 112,000 seniors could die prematurely each year because drug prices are so high they can’t afford their medication.

“Big Pharma’s high drug prices are killing us, fueling a public health and humanitarian crisis of its own,” Lash said.

“Giving Medicare the power to negotiate is an important step, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that more reforms are needed. Anti-competitive behavior in health care is a burden for everyone, regardless of their politics.”