The cost of prescription drugs continues to be a policy issue for the U.S. health system and for state Medicaid programs. Recent news stories have highlighted the high costs of life-saving drugs such as Sovaldi, EpiPen, Daraprim, insulin, and oncology drugs; the American public reports concern over high out-of-pocket spending for prescriptions; and many states are pursuing actions to try to lower drug costs. President Trump campaigned on the issue and has since repeatedly commented that lowering the cost of prescription drugs is one of his greatest priorities. On May 11th, 2018, the Trump Administration released "American Patients First: The Trump Administration Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs" ("the Blueprint"), which reviews the issue of high cost drugs, presents actions the Administration has already taken, lists actions that the Administration may undertake or promote going forward, and seeks feedback on potential actions. The Blueprint includes provisions across the U.S. healthcare system; this issue brief focuses on how the Blueprint's proposals could affect Medicaid drug spending.
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