# How can we fix medical pricing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 25, 2021, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-fix-medical-pricing/949475 "2021-08-25T07:01:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 112
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-fix-medical-pricing/949475/112 "2021-08-26T22:40:07Z")
Unless, of course, they were barred from wielding that purchasing power: > **[Policy Proposal: Allow Medicare to Negotiate Drug Prices in Part D](https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2017/12/policy-proposal-allow-medicare-to-negotiate-drug-prices-in-part-d)** > > Under the Part D program, private prescription drug plans provide drug coverage to Medicare enrollees. These plans negotiate drug rebates and other discounts with pharmaceutical manufacturers, which reduce program costs and allow plans to compete for... > Under the Part D program, private prescription drug plans (PDPs) provide drug coverage to Medicare enrollees. PDPs negotiate drug rebates and other discounts with pharmaceutical manufacturers, which reduce program costs and allow plans to compete for beneficiaries based on lowering premiums and patient out-of-pocket costs. However, the federal government is prohibited from negotiating drug prices in the Part D program as part of the Social Security Act’s noninterference clause. The clause states that the Department of Health and Human Services “may not interfere with the negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacies and PDP sponsors, and may not require a particular formulary or institute a price structure for the reimbursement of covered part D drugs.” But … back on my high horse … the two countries (US and New Zealand) in the world that _do_ allow Direct To Consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs [wait for it] have higher rates of “pills per adult” than any other advanced economy country (click on it to view it): [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ABLVV84suSoJ2xMYtbwzqcWUJIiEggAwstlqcCGEhStR-zIT0QjM4-8PjQesb1kqmUgVhMU2MRQTOP4xPV-3H4IaQSjy-qNdNaXpmtcbjWGtW7TZxD6hoio=w600-h315-p-k "New item by neil0502") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/hYbm7sAEK474MsVX9) Broken. Just … broken. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-we-fix-medical-pricing/949475)._