Assignent Solutionnurs

Opinion Piece- 500 – 600 words The issue: Senate Democrats are moving full speed ahead to pass legislation via a simple majority focused on prescription drug pricing prior to the Congressional reconciliation deadline. If passed, the legislation would mandate the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate lower prices for a set number of prescription medications under Medicare, a campaign promise Democrats have been pushing for years. Proponents of this drug pricing package argue Medicare negotiation will save Medicare patients money while also allowing the federal government to allocate additional savings to pay down the national deficit. This is a particularly strong argument at a time when Americans face severe economic pressures such as inflation. Conversely, opponents argue that giving the government unprecedented authority to “negotiate” prescription prices under Medicare is nothing more than government price setting and will stifle new drug discovery – reducing pharmaceutical research and development would be devasting for patients battling rare diseases and complex conditions like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and more. The prompt: Please publish a 500 to 600-word op-ed opposing the Medicare negotiation policy included in the reconciliation package. The op-ed should be written from the perspective of a medical professional from California. The signer should urge the entire California delegation to reconsider passing the government price setting proposal, reminding them that fewer new treatments and cures coming to market puts our most vulnerable patients at risk. Please be sure to research the policy and opposition to price setting, including concern from the pharmaceutical industry at large and analysis done by the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO).