The Medicare secretary won’t negotiate, even if he could:
One rather obvious stumbling block: HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, who oversees Medicare, has said he wouldn’t negotiate drug prices even if the law permitted him to do so. For negotiations to work, the head of HHS has to be willing to use whatever cudgel Congress devises. (A House bill would address this by requiring HHS to negotiate, while a Senate bill coming up for a committee vote tomorrow would permit “” but not require “” negotiation.)
