Democrats outline plan to bypass GOP filibuster to regulate drug prices and expand Medicare benefits

Senate Democrats unveiled plans Monday to bypass Republican filibusters to enact legislation expanding Medicare and giving the federal government the power to negotiate prescription drug prices.

“We will save taxpayers hundreds of billions by requiring that Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry, and we will use those savings to expand Medicare by covering the dental care, hearing aids, and eyeglasses that seniors desperately need,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders. 

The Democratic plans for expanding government healthcare programs were included in their fiscal year 2022 budget proposal. The budget is not legislation and not binding, but approving it would unlock a legislative process that would allow Democrats to pass legislation with a simple majority in the Senate, meaning that they could bypass the filibuster.

Specific cost estimates for the healthcare measures were not included in the blueprint, but it did dedicate roughly $726 billion for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which has broad healthcare jurisdiction.