Schumer backs Sanders push on drug prices, lowering Medicare age

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview published Friday that he supports measures to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices, as well as lowering the Medicare eligibility age and creating a public health insurance option.

Schumer specifically pointed to conversations he has had with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

“Bernie Sanders and I agree on this,” Schumer told The.Ink. “I believe we should be negotiating — we just talked about this at some length; he and I must talk almost every single day — Medicare negotiating with the drug companies and using that money to expand Medicare.”

Asked about reducing the Medicare eligibility age or a public option to compete alongside private health insurers for people of all ages, Schumer replied, “Yeah, I’d be for either of those, both of those.”

Details on the legislative pathway not fully clear, though: He left some wiggle room, however, on how exactly the measures would move through Congress or whether they would receive a vote in the Senate.

“Well, we’re going to push it,” he said. “It’s too early. I want to pass the biggest, boldest bill that, of course, we can pass. And we’ve got to figure all that out. We’re going to try to fight hard to try to get these in the bill.”