The Trump administration's plan to force insurers to pass on drugmaker discounts to seniors at the pharmacy counter would upend the market and raise consumer premiums in the end, health insurance executives warned investors this week.
"Our perspective is that that would raise premiums for the broader populations. And that in of itself I think creates some disruption in the marketplace that we have to think through," Humana Chief Financial Officer Brian Kane told investors on a call discussing the company's earnings Wednesday.
The Trump administration proposed a ban one week ago on confidential discounts pharmacy benefits management plans negotiate with drugmakers when it comes to government Medicare and Medicaid plans. Health regulators do not have the authority to ban them for private commercial plans, but Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is pressuring Congress to adopt laws that would do so.