The United States spends more on healthcare per capita than any other country in the world. For example, a medical procedure fitting cardiac implants following a heart attack can cost up-to six-times more in a U.S. hospital than in Germany. And while Americans pay less for generic medications compared to most other countries, patients pay a premium for brand name drugs.

This status quo is frustrating for America’s seniors and working families. Although no silver bullet policy exists to bridge the cost disparity overnight, there are reforms that will help.

America’s pharmaceutical supply chain is uniquely complicated. While most of the world’s healthcare innovation happens within our borders, once products leave the manufacturing facilities, they must navigate a complex web of hospital networks, insurance companies, and middlemen that all take a cut. It is a black box with little pricing transparency and adverse incentives that inflates costs.

One of these puzzle pieces that is in the crosshairs of the White House and Congress are pharmacy........

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