US judge refuses to block Medicare from negotiating drug prices

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on Social Security and Medicare at the University of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, U.S. February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights
Sept 29 (Reuters) – The U.S. government’s Medicare health insurance program can begin negotiating prices for some prescription drugs this fall under a new program, a federal judge ruled on Friday, vindicating one of President Joe Biden’s signature initiatives.
The order by U.S. District Judge Michael Newman in Dayton, Ohio, comes in a lawsuit brought against the Biden administration by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
The nation’s largest business lobbying group argues that the program violates the U.S. Constitution by allowing the government to force drugmakers to accept unfairly low prices, and would stifle innovation.
Newman in a preliminary order rejected that argument, finding that drugmakers were unlikely to prevail in the case. He said they were not being forced to give anything up because participating in Medicare is