What We're Reading: Drug Sector Edgy Ahead of Trump Speech; IRS Enforcing ACA; Idaho Still Working on Insurance

Industry Anxiously Awaiting Trump Speech on Drug Pricing

IRS Enforcing ACA's Employer Mandate Despite Trump Saying Law Is Repealed

Idaho Still Hoping to Get Nod to Sell Insurance That Does Not Meet ACA Standards

President Trump is expected to give a speech Tuesday about his plan to lower drug prices, and it has the industry on edge, The Hill reported. Observers are wondering what will actually get said, since the president is known to ad lib; the speech could also be pushed back to later in the week. Other things to watch are if Trump will follow former President Obama on Medicare Part B drug pricing, if he will follow through on a campaign promise to allow Medicare to negotiate prices directly, and what will he say about pharmaceutical imports.Despite President Trump telling crowds that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is deceased, many pieces of it are alive and angering business groups, The New York Times reported. And the Trump administration is even enforcing some of its provisions more aggressively than the previous administration, namely the employer mandate—the requirement that most companies offer health insurance to their workers or pay a penalty. The IRS has been sending penalty notices to more than 30,000 businesses around the country, the paper reported.Idaho officials are still hoping to allow insurers to sell plans that don't comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and are negotiating with federal officials over risk pools, risk adjustment programs, essential health benefits, and other issues. The state says the action is needed to save Idaho's insurance exchange as premiums continue to rise and some healthy residents opt to go uninsured, the Associated Press reported.