EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The White House recently announced that it negotiated lower prices for the ten most expensive and frequently dispensed drugs covered by Medicare.

The drugs treat conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra joined “Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh to break down negotiating with pharmaceutical companies and capping the costs of prescription medicines for Medicare recipients under the Inflation Reduction Act.

“In some cases, you have more leverage than others. If it’s the only drug in town and they’re saying they’re not going to give it to you unless you pay a certain amount, it’s hard to negotiate,” Becerra said. “If there are other opportunities, you can negotiate it down. If it’s been around for a while, you can say ‘look, you made up a lot of your money, we’ve got data that shows you can bring it down’ — it’s a negotiation.”

 The negotiated prices will go into effect in January 2026.

Other topics Becerra touched on include tackling the pandemic when he joined the Biden administration in 2021 and preparations for future pandemics, Affordable Care Act accomplishments, and the importance of supporting our aging population.

“We have to make sure we’re providing that support, the services and those medications before they become the older population. A lot of these folks are bringing diabetes with them into the Medicare program when they turn 65. A lot of folks are bringing some of these other chronic diseases — obesity — and other things that really affect them. So rather than wait until they turn 65 and qualify for Medicare, let’s deal with it now. I keep saying to folks, we need to change our health care system from one that treats illness to one that promotes wellness.”

A native Californian, Becerra closed out the conversation by sharing his love for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants.