Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley has released a health policy plan that focuses on bringing down prescription drug prices and continuing to reduce the number of the uninsured.
The candidate, who is consistently polling a distant third to front-runners Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, released his 10-page plan Tuesday, which is similar to that of his party rivals. He stopped short, however, of advocating for the single-payer system that Sanders touts.
He also called for repealing the “Cadillac tax” on high-end insurance plans, giving government health programs the power to negotiate drug prices and expanding funding for the National Institutes of Health.
O'Malley, a former governor of Maryland, received criticism for the technical difficulties his state's health insurance exchange experienced during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act. But he has stood by the landmark law.
He said he would encourage other states to adopt Maryland's global budget-revenue program, which caps hospital revenue, and bases payments on population health over fee-for-service arrangements.
After the global budget plan was implemented in Maryland in 2014, quality measures showed improvement and Medicare saved $116 million, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
O'Malley said he would work with states that have not yet expanded Medicaid to do so by 2018. He also said he would eliminate the waiting period for immigrants to be enrolled in Medicaid. He estimates those policies would provide coverage for 95% of all Americans.
Explaining his health plan, O'Malley stated he would “fight for legislation to ban price-gouging profiteering in prescription drugs” and would also oppose corporate tax inversions, such as the recent merger between Pfizer and Allergan.
