Ladies and gentlemen, our negotiator-in-chief:
Donald Trump, two weeks ago: “Pharma has a lot of lobbies, a lot of lobbyists, and a lot of power. And there’s very little bidding on drugs. We’re the largest buyer of drugs in the world, and yet we don’t bid properly.”
Donald Trump, today, after meeting with Pharma lobbyists: “I’ll oppose anything that makes it harder for smaller, younger companies to take the risk of bringing their product to a vibrantly competitive market. That includes price-fixing by the biggest dog in the market, Medicare, which is what’s happening.”
All it took was a few minutes and Trump caved completely to the pharmaceutical industry. It’s yet another defeat for the working class. Add this to the higher prices they’ll pay if he puts his tariffs in place; the decimation of Medicare they’ll suffer if Paul Ryan’s vouchers are enacted; the nursing care costs they’ll have to pay if Medicaid is block granted; and the subsidies for health coverage they’ll lose when he repeals Obamacare.
Working class folks are losing bigly under Trump. I wonder when they’ll get tired of losing?