Liberals rip Democratic leaders for writing drug pricing bill in secret

Progressive House Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated with their party’s leadership, accusing them of writing Democrats’ signature bill to lower prescription drug prices in secret and without their input.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) compared the process around Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) drug pricing measure to the secrecy surrounding the GOP’s ObamaCare repeal bill in 2017, when Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) famously wheeled a photocopier across the Capitol in a dramatized search for the hidden legislation.

{mosads}Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, likened Pelosi’s plan to the Loch Ness monster, saying it has been just as elusive.

At issue is a plan Pelosi’s office has been working on for months that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, a top priority for Democrats and one that the party stressed in its campaign last year to win back the House.

There is now an intense debate within the Democratic caucus over the details of that proposal, with the Progressive Caucus pushing for a bill authored by Doggett that it says is stronger because it would strip a company of its monopoly on a drug if the manufacturer refuses to agree to a reasonable price in Medicare negotiations.

Pelosi’s office is working on a different mechanism, one that progressives worry is too weak. Her approach would empower an outside third party to set the price of a drug if Medicare and the drug company could not come to an agreement.

Progressive lawmakers argue they cannot properly weigh in on Pelosi’s plan because they have not seen anything on paper. After months of rumors, Pelosi presented an outline of the plan two weeks ago in a private meeting that included Pocan, but did not provide a hard copy of the proposal.

Asked on Tuesday if he thought leadership’s process had been open enough, Pocan told reporters, “There has been no process up to now.”

That same day, Doggett told reporters, “We have a great history with Republicans where they locked up their health care plan so that even Rand Paul couldn’t see it, and they held their tax plan to the last minute, so if there is to be good collaboration here there needs to be more openness.”

Pocan, Doggett and other progressives say they have come up empty in their attempts to get more details from leadership.

Democratic leaders will likely need progressives to help pass a drug pricing bill if it eventually comes to the floor, but liberal lawmakers say they can’t pledge support for legislative text they haven’t seen.

When asked about the complaints from progressives, Henry Connelly, a Pelosi spokesman, said party leaders are still in the process of gathering input from members.

{mossecondads}“Leadership and the committees of jurisdiction continue to solicit feedback and incorporate ideas from across the caucus in order to develop the strongest, boldest possible legislation to lower prescription drug prices for all Americans,” Connelly said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a champion for progressives, told reporters on Wednesday it’s a problem that “most members,” including her, do not know the details of Pelosi’s drug pricing plan.

“That’s a problem and it’s part of a pattern, I think, where we don’t know things until 48 hours before. And then it’s like, ‘You’re either with us or you’re against us,’ ” Ocasio-Cortez said.

In a sign of their frustration, both Doggett and Pocan showed up at a meeting organized by House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) on Tuesday that was intended to help get newer Democratic lawmakers up to speed on drug pricing. The two veteran lawmakers later expressed frustration to reporters after no new details of leadership’s plan were revealed at the briefing.

Pocan said he delivered a warning in the meeting that leadership should not try to move a drug pricing bill in the next week or two without waiting to get input from progressives.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters on Tuesday that the chamber is occupied with appropriations for June, but that “we’ll see whether by July we’re ready to deal with prescription drugs.”

Adding to progressives’ concerns is the fact that Pelosi’s staff has been in talks with White House staffers for months on drug pricing. Progressives are worried that Pelosi will water down her plan in an effort to secure a rare bipartisan deal with President Trump.

The Speaker’s office has emphasized that the House will move forward on drug pricing no matter what ends up happening with the administration talks.

The parts of Pelosi’s plan outlined so far have drawn concerns from progressives.

Pocan called it “horrendous” that her proposal would not require Medicare to negotiate prices for all drugs, but instead set a minimum of 25 drugs per year where prices had to be negotiated. He added that there are some good parts to the plan, namely that the mandated lower prices would apply to people with private insurance plans, not just Medicare.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) have been on a “listening tour” this year, meeting with groups of House Democrats across the ideological spectrum on drug prices.

But some lawmakers say those meetings have been nothing more than general discussions of different options, without providing details of Pelosi’s plan.

“We are going to talk to the Speaker and make it clear that we really need to see the proposal,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), noting that she discussed the issue with other Progressive Caucus leaders on Wednesday morning.

On the other side of the caucus, Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.), a member of the moderate Blue Dog Democrats who helps lead the group’s work on health care issues, said, “No, not really,” when asked if he knew the details of Pelosi’s proposal.

“It’s one of three or so different alternatives that’s out there,” Schrader said. “It’s probably going to end up as the preferred alternative, because she’s the Speaker.”