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As Americans, we’re blessed to live in a nation where investments and innovations in health care help millions of people every day to manage and overcome their illnesses. Yet the escalating prices of prescription drugs are a daily concern for every American in need of them. In fact, it’s one of the top concerns I hear from Iowans at my annual 99 county meetings as well as through phone calls and emails.

Here and in communities across Florida, a great many people are in desperate need of medical care. Often they have limited income and no insurance but suffer from significant health issues that required expensive, lifesaving prescriptions.

As the 116th Congress gets underway, health care is top of mind not only for lawmakers, but also for Americans everywhere. According to a recent Gallup poll, 6 in 10 Americans say they are concerned about the increasing cost of their personal health care.

Between the lines: Politically, an age-restricted Medicare buy-in is about as moderate as it gets for Democrats in the age of "Medicare for All."

Hospitals that recently enrolled in the 340B drug pricing program saw greater increases in per-patient drug spend compared to non-340B hospitals, according to a Berkeley Research Group study funded by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a drug lobby.

A federal court has blocked the Trump administration’s cuts to a federal drug discount program, ruling that HHS does not have the authority to impose the steep pay reductions.

Over the past year, there has been a growing body of evidence that the 340B program doesn’t always best serve vulnerable or uninsured patient populations. Evidence has also raised questions about how some hospitals use the 340B program.

After mounting evidence from government watchdogs, academics, patient advocates, lawmakers, and concerned citizens that the safety-net 340B drug discount program was enriching hospitals at the expense of the low-income patients it was intended to serve, the American Hospital Association (AHA) finally announced new principles that they claim will ensure “good stewardship” of the program.