2020 presidential candidates on prescription drug costs

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Presidential election
Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Howie Hawkins

Jo Jorgensen

This page includes statements from the 2020 presidential candidates on prescription drug costs. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and interviews. Click the following links for policy statements about related issues: healthcare, Affordable Care Act, and Medicare for All.

The candidates featured on this page are the 2020 presidential nominees from the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green parties.

Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Howie Hawkins
Jo Jorgensen

Prescription drug costs

Republican candidates

Donald Trump

Donald Trump's campaign website says that "Under President Trump, The FDA has approved the largest number of generic drugs in history. Generics increase competition in the marketplace and lower the cost of prescription drugs for all Americans. In December 2018, year-end drug prices fell for the first time in nearly 50 years." ^{[source, as of 2020-06-22]}

Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford's campaign website does not include a position on prescription drugs costs.

His website says about healthcare, "Senator Rand Paul and I introduced the Obamacare Replacement Act in 2017. Among other things, it would legalize people buying the health insurance they needed, rather than the health insurance the government prescribed. It would allow people to deduct the cost of their insurance the way employers can with employees. It would bolster Health Savings Accounts, create competition across state lines and even incorporate some of the good ideas found in Obamacare – such as allowing children to stay on their parents plan until the age of 26 and protecting those with preexisting conditions. I also think a good healthcare system should be built around incentivizing good healthcare decisions. We spend more than all other industrialized nations and yet have poorer health care outcomes. There is something wrong in a system that will not differentiate between the smoker and nonsmoker, or the person who watches what they eat and drink and those that don't. Similarly, working to make certain that healthcare decisions are between a doctor and a patient – not a patient and a government or insurance bureaucrat, I believe vital." ^{[source, as of 2019-09-10]}

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh's campaign website does not contain a statement outlining his position on prescription drug costs. ^{[source, as of 2019-08-30]}

Bill Weld

Bill Weld said in a speech that consumers "should be free to purchase pharmaceutical drugs across state lines and also in other countries. " ^{[source, as of 2019-02-15]}

Democratic candidates

Joe Biden

Joe Biden's campaign website says he "will put a stop to runaway drug prices and the profiteering of the drug industry by: Repealing the outrageous exception allowing drug corporations to avoid negotiating with Medicare over drug prices. Limiting launch prices for drugs that face no competition and are being abusively priced by manufacturers. Limiting price increases for all brand, biotech, and abusively priced generic drugs to inflation. Allowing consumers to buy prescription drugs from other countries. Terminating pharmaceutical corporations’ tax break for advertisement spending. Improving the supply of quality generics." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-20]}

Michael Bloomberg

Mike Bloomberg's campaign website says, "Mike believes every American should have access to affordable medical care, and expanding Obamacare and Medicare is the best way to achieve universal coverage. As a mayor, businessman, and philanthropist, Mike has pioneered bold health initiatives that have cleaned the air we breathe, expanded access to prenatal and postnatal care, increased screenings for breast and prostate cancer, dramatically cut teen smoking, and reduced injuries and deaths on roads." ^{[source, as of 2019-12-11]}

Cory Booker

Cory Booker's campaign website says he will "Lower prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices and import drugs from Canada and other countries," and "Take patents away from drug companies that sell the same medication for less in other countries." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-27]}

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg's campaign website says, "Pete believes in universal health care. The health care system we have today is both unjust and inefficient. For the first time since World War I, life expectancy is falling. If you’re uninsured, you’re paying too much for health care. If you’re insured, you’re still paying too much. This burdens hard-working families, especially in communities of color, the most. Other developed countries provide universal coverage for less than what Americans currently pay — and with better results. The American people should not have to settle for less." He lists "lower drug prices" as a critical policy area. ^{[source, as of 2019-08-21]}

Julián Castro

Castro responded to a New York Times survey saying he supported the importation of prescription drugs from other companies and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. ^{[source, as of 2019-06-23]}

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement supporting the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, "No one should be forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying for life-saving medication. But that’s exactly what’s happening to millions of Americans as a result of big pharma’s chokehold on Medicare. They’ve managed to buy access into Congress, barring the government from negotiating cheaper prices for consumers, so they can continue to price-gouge those trying to buy life-saving medication and rake in profits at the expense of the American people. Our legislation makes progress toward ensuring quality healthcare for all Americans." ^{[source, as of 2019-01-01]}

Kamala D. Harris

Kamala Harris' campaign website says that she "will stop pharmaceutical companies from price-gouging patients by setting a fair price for what they can charge for prescription drugs."

Her campaign website offers the following proposals: "The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will identify and set a fair price for any prescription drug that (1) is sold for a cheaper price in any comparable OECD country, or (2) increases its annual price by more than the cost of inflation. A prescription drug’s fair price will be no higher than 100 percent of the average price for that drug in comparable OECD countries, such as Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, or Australia. HHS will update the fair price for each identified drug at least annually with a cap for inflation. All profits pharmaceutical companies make from selling a drug above the fair price in the United States will be taxed at a rate of 100 percent. These funds will go directly back to consumers in the form of rebates. Harris will also end the pharmaceutical company tax loophole for direct-to-consumer advertising expenses." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-20]}

Amy Klobuchar

Amy Klobuchar's campaign website lists five actions she would take to lower the price of prescription drugs: "Lifting the ban on Medicare negotiations for prescription drugs by passing and signing into law Senator Klobuchar’s Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act.", "Allowing personal importation of safe drugs from countries like Canada by passing and signing into law Senator Klobuchar’s bipartisan Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act.", "Stopping pharmaceutical companies from blocking less-expensive generics by passing and signing into law Senator Klobuchar’s bipartisan Preserve Access to Affordable Generics Act and Biosimilars Act.", "Allowing the temporary importation of drugs that have been approved in another country with similar safety requirements and face little or no competition in the United States by passing and signing into law Senator Klobucar’s bipartisan Short on Competition Act.", and "Addressing abuses and delay tactics that prevent generic companies from performing the necessary testing and distribution necessary for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval."

The website also says, "Many pharmaceutical companies have found loopholes in regulations that allow them to block or delay cost-saving competition like refusing to provide samples or share important information about how to distribute a drug safely. As President, Senator Klobuchar will instruct HHS to issue regulations to stop anti-competitive practices and help reduce the cost of prescription drugs." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-28]}

Beto O'Rourke

Beto O'Rourke's campaign website proposes the following: "Allow drug importation from Europe and Canada and modify regulations to get generics on the market faster. Pass universal health care through Medicare for America—and limit out of pocket costs based on income. Protect against monopoly pricing by allowing Medicare to negotiate for drugs and allowing the federal government to intervene if a drug manufacturer refuses to set a reasonable price, by giving the license to a different manufacturer, and compensating the patent holder for research and risk." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-27]}

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders supports allowing Medicare to negotiate with large pharmaceutical companies and tying drug prices to those in five other major countries.

Sanders' campaign website proposes the following: "Allow Medicare to negotiate with the big drug companies to lower prescription drug prices with the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act. Allow patients, pharmacists, and wholesalers to buy low-cost prescription drugs from Canada and other industrialized countries with the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act. Cut prescription drug prices in half, with the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, by pegging prices to the median drug price in five major countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-23]}

Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer's campaign website says, "One of the most egregious costs in the health care system today is the price of prescription drugs. If a company or lab invents a new vital cure, their ingenuity will continue to be rewarded when a new drug is released. But when companies rig high profits through pay-for-delay agreements, price-gouging, or other shenanigans, Tom’s government will boldly enforce consumer protections. Tom will build on his home state work to increase drug pricing transparency and work to significantly curtail the costs of prescription drugs. He will enable Medicare and the public option to jointly negotiate drug prices directly with manufacturers and extend these negotiated prices to private insurers, saving more than $50 billion per year. He will also benchmark the cost of drugs against international standards and institute a price cap. The plan will also enable Americans to purchase FDA approved drugs from across international borders, advance nationwide pricing transparency, and eliminate the ability of drug manufacturers to expense the cost of advertisements and increase advertising disclosure requirements." ^{[source, as of 2019-11-19]}

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren's campaign website says, "In the Senate, Elizabeth has led the fight against the opioid epidemic, for better medical research, and for lower prescription drug costs." The website says that she "proposed legislation to cap the amount families have to spend out-of-pocket on prescription drugs and to let the government manufacture generic drugs to address shortages that caused prices to spike." ^{[source, as of 2019-08-26]}

Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang's campaign website says, "We need to put pressure on these companies to get their prices under control and more in line with the rest of the world. Americans pay twice as much as Australians and three times as much as the Dutch on prescription drugs due to lack of price control. We have to give the federal government authority to negotiate drug prices and use standard international price reference points so pharmaceutical companies can no longer exploit our market and the American people. If these companies are not willing to compromise, we need to ensure the U.S. government has the ability to force licenses for these drugs to companies who will. Additionally, we need to authorize the creation of public manufacturing facilities to make these drugs, as well as other necessary drugs and unprofitable but necessary medications, for the American people. If all else fails, we need to allow the importation of medications from other countries."

His campaign website lists the following policy proposals: "Work with Congress to pass a law to negotiate drug prices. Use international reference pricing to set a baseline and allow for forced licensing of medications if companies can’t come to a reasonable agreement with the federal government on cost in line with international prices. Create public manufacturing facilities to produce generic drugs (and produce drugs through a forced license) to keep costs at a minimum. Also manufacture unprofitable medications and important high-demand medications. If all of the above fail, allow for the importation of prescription drugs from other countries." ^{[source, as of 2019-12-16]}

Green candidates

Howie Hawkins

Howie Hawkins' campaign website says, "Predatory Big Pharma would be socialized into [his healthcare] system as a public utility operating at cost for public benefit. We would direct it to do the needed research and development of vaccines, antivirals, and antibiotics that Big Pharma has stopped doing because drugs for chronic conditions are more profitable than short-term medical treatments that prevent and cure diseases. Under community control, the public healthcare system will be more accountable, more effective at controlling costs, and more rational and just in allocating healthcare resources across all communities." ^{[source, as of 2020-04-06]}

Libertarian candidates

Jo Jorgensen

Jo Jorgensen's campaign website says the government should not regulate the price of drugs. It also says that "the FDA should be abolished so the price of all drugs goes down." ^{[source, as of 2020-07-28]}

Other policy pages

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Footnotes