Will Trump Stop Europe From Freeloading on American Medicine?

Wealthy allies like Germany have been freeloading on American drug innovation for years. The Trump administration is finally doing something about it.

In this episode, I break down Jeffrey Gerrish's Newsweek op-ed on the wealthy countries that let Americans fund a disproportionate share of the world's drug research. Germany has been blocking the push to get allies to roll back their price controls, and the administration answered with a Section 301 investigation. The same pressure already worked on the UK, which agreed to double its spending on innovative drugs as a share of GDP.

Then I turn to the problem at home. Obamacare's payment and regulatory rules sped up hospital consolidation and cut competition on price and quality. Limiting competition is never good, and an administration that makes fixing healthcare a priority should be the standard.