House Republicans have blocked a provision from a spending bill that would have required drug companies to post the prices of their products in TV commercials.
The provision was not included in a larger healthcare spending bill finished by House and Senate negotiators on Thursday.
The price disclosure requirement passed the Senate last month and has the support of of President Trump, though his administration is already working on regulations that would make companies post prices.
The bill’s lead sponsor in the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., noted during spending negotiations that it had the support of Trump and blamed drug companies for its failure in the House.
Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the co-sponsor of the provision, tweeted similar sentiments Thursday, saying the outcome was “embarrassing.”
Hearing rumors my bipartisan Durbin/Grassley legis to make drug companies list prices on TV ads is out of spending bill It is EMBARRASSING to bow to BIG PHARMA at expense of consumers Policy is supported by Pres Trump+AARP+Dem&GOP Sens If we can agree why are lobbyists fighting?
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 13, 2018
A recent poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that it also has the support of 76 percent of the public.