Trump's $200 prescription cards won't hit mailboxes just yet

If you’re on Medicare, don’t run to mailbox looking for a $200 prescription drug card courtesy of President Donald Trump.

Government officials said Friday that key details of Trump's election-year giveaway still have to be fleshed out, including exact timing and how Medicare's cost would be covered — a sum that could approach $7 billion.

It's also unclear which Medicare enrollees will get promised cards. Trump said 33 million beneficiaries would receive cards in mail, but more than 60 million people are covered by federal health insurance program for seniors.

Trade groups representing two industries most affected by plan — drug companies and insurers — said y have received specifics from Trump administration. Public policy experts called it an attention-grabbing move — weeks before presidential election — that won't change much in end.

“Providing a coupon does absolutely thing to address underlying problem of high and rising drug prices,” said Tricia Neuman, a Medicare expert with npartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. “ administration has had nearly four years to work with Congress or go through regulatory process to adopt proposals that could have a real and sustained impact on drug prices.”

For example, a bipartisan Senate bill would have capped out-of-pocket costs for Medicare recipients with high drug bills, while also limiting price increases by requiring rebates to program. But it stalled this year even though Trump lined up behind it. compromise faced opposition from drug industry and from Republican senators who saw it as a path to government price controls. emergence of more ambitious legislation from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi diminished Democrats' appetite for a deal.

Meanwhile, administration is still working on regulatory actions to try to peg what Medicare pays for medications to lower prices abroad. That's what Trump often refers to as “favored nations,” an idea that could lead to big savings but is likely to face legal challenges from pharmaceutical industry.

Medicare enrollees can get prescription drug cover by purchasing a “Part D” drug plan or by joining a Medicare Advant plan. Anuncing savings cards Thursday at a speech in Charlotte, N.C., Trump called it a “historic provision” to benefit seniors. “body has seen this before,” he said with typical salesmanship. “se cards are incredible.”

Using Trump's figure of 33 million people getting $200 cards, cost would work out to $6.6 billion, t including administrative expenses.

White House says prescription cards are definitely coming. y will be mailed in coming weeks, although officials are providing date.

cards would provide a savings off copays owed by seniors for ir medications, according to White House. Medicare would cover cost under its authority to launch demonstration programs.

n, in ar step, Medicare's own cost would be offset. That would be done with expected savings from a yet-to-be finalized regulation that pegs what program pays for drugs to lower overseas prices __ and capitalizes on Trump's “favored nations” idea.

If gambit works, savings squeezed from pharmaceutical industry would eventually end up covering cost of copay cards. But re are many unanswered questions, including legal and budgetary issues.

“se are wishful savings that come from a policy that has t been finalized,” said Kaiser Foundation's Neuman.

Seniors may t be all that impressed, said Frederic Riccardi, president of Medicare Rights Center, an advocacy group based in New York.

“People with Medicare do t want to rely on coupons and gimmicks for ir prescription drugs and health care,” Riccardi said. "y want ir prescription drugs to be more affordable.''

For some, "$200 doesn't even cover coinsurance for one drug,” he added.

A Kaiser Foundation study in 2019 found that Medicare recipients taking pricey “specialty drugs” for serious conditions including cancer, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, could expect to pay from $2,622 to $16,551 a year out of ir own pocket, depending on medication and disease. Those figures represent median, or midpoint cost for people with Medicare's Part D cover.

With all unfinished work, and given that government tends to move slowly, officials aren't saying wher $200 cards will go out before Election Day — or if Trump's name will be on m.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, coauthor of bipartisan drug cost bill that stalled even with president's endorsement, called whole exercise a gimmick.

“This president only cares about drug costs during campaign season," Wyden said in a statement. "Drug companies will be paying as much for this gimmick as Mexico is paying for Wall,” referring to Trump's wall along sourn U.S. border.