Editorial Board

Let Medicare Tackle High Drug Costs

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders agree on this much: Stop tying the agency's hands.

September 24, 2015 at 12:00 PM UTC

By The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board publishes the views of the editors across a range of national and global affairs.

Volume matters.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

The rising cost of prescription drugs isn't quite the crisis it's made out to be, but it's still worth addressing. Hillary Clinton isn't alone in suggesting the most sensible way to do that.

First, about that crisis. Yes, the U.S. pays 40 percent more for drugs than other countries do, and last year those costs rose 12.6 percent. But the increase is expected to slow, and drugs still account for just 10 cents of every dollar Americans spend on health care.