Trending News Today: Virginia Lawmakers Expand Medicaid to 400,000

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that he expects major drug manufacturers to slash prices on their products in 2 weeks, Reuters reported. The president made the comments at the signing ceremony for the new Right to Try legislation, the article reported. According to the article, President Trump did not provide details on which companies would do so or how reductions would be made. The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet issued any new regulations to lower drug prices based on the administration’s plan.

After more than 4 years of battling over the state budget, Virginia lawmakers have approved legislation expanding Medicaid, the Associated Press reported. The new legislation will enable nearly 400,000 newly eligible low-income individuals in Virginia to begin enrolling in Medicaid at the start of the next year, according to the article. President Trump’s recent budget proposals have called for repealing Medicaid expansion and White House officials had urged Virginia lawmakers not to expand Medicaid, the article reported.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed the Right to Try legislation aimed at helping patients with deadly diseases try experimental treatments, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, the measure will allow individuals diagnosed with life-threatening conditions who have exhausted treatment options the ability to gain access to unproven drugs without first getting permission from the FDA. At the signing, the president was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, and some of the bill’s allies in Congress, the article reported.