White House releases health care plan

The White House released a health care plan Jan. 15 addressing drug prices, health insurance premiums and price transparency efforts. The plan includes codifying the administration's "most favored nation" agreements recently reached with certain drugmakers, where companies must offer Americans the lowest cost paid for the same medications in other countries. It also calls for sending subsidies directly to Americans instead of insurance companies and funding cost-sharing reductions to reduce premiums. The plan would also require health insurers to publish rate and coverage comparisons on their websites "in plain English - not industry jargon" for consumers. In addition, the plan calls for any health provider or insurer accepting Medicare or Medicaid to "prominently" post their pricing and fees.