Xavier Becerra Failed to Lower Prescription Drug Prices — And Also Doesn’t Understand the Problem

CALIFORNIA — A new piece in The American Prospect raises serious questions about Xavier Becerra’s preparedness to govern California, documenting repeated instances where Becerra was unable to explain — or even grasp — one of the biggest drivers of skyrocketing prescription drug costs in America.

As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Becerra oversaw Medicare, Medicaid, and the nation’s health care system at a time when pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) were under bipartisan scrutiny for inflating drug prices and skimming profits off patients and taxpayers. But when presented with opportunities to address the issue publicly, Becerra repeatedly defaulted to vague talking points and unrelated health care accomplishments — while appearing unfamiliar with the mechanics of how PBMs drive up costs.

This is part of a long-running pattern now glaringly clear on the campaign trail: Xavier Becerra dodges tough questions, begs reporters for soft ball questions, and fumbles basic policy issues when the spotlight is on him — a clear sign he is not ready for primetime.

Excerpts of the full piece are below. Read the full American Prospect article here.

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“But when it was his turn to speak, he spent almost all of his five-minute speech talking about increased health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act… All of these were laudable gains, but they had nothing to do with PBMs.

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He only mentioned PBMs once, stating that it was ‘great to see this momentum’ to tackle them as an issue.

I distinctly remember chatter at the time and afterward… wondering whether Becerra actually knew what a PBM was.

Becerra said that HHS would follow the law several times, but didn’t appear to understand the issue, talking in generalities about Medicare beneficiaries needing to pay affordable prices.

And beyond just not taking the steps to do so, Becerra in multiple public settings appeared to be unaware that the rip-offs are even happening.

Therefore, whether Xavier Becerra can articulate one of the major reasons why drug prices are so high is a data point to assess whether he can successfully govern.

“[..] as California attorney general, Becerra wrote a letter to HHS urging them to use march-in rights to seize the patents of prescription drugs developed through public research whose companies were not providing them at affordable prices. He then became HHS secretary in a position to use march-in rights. Despite being asked multiple times to do so, he declined.”

[...] Becerra’s issues page for health care, the first on his list of priorities, doesn’t mention PBMs, despite alluding to using California’s “purchasing power” to negotiate discounts and encourage use of lower-cost alternatives. (This is what PBMs say they do.)

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