Gov. Moore says Trump is doing something right on drug prices

President Donald Trump and Gov. Wes Moore don’t agree on much.

But Moore found himself Wednesday in the unusual position of begrudgingly acknowledging that the Trump administration is doing something right when it comes to prescription drug prices.

The federal government now negotiates drug prices for Medicare, and Moore wants Maryland to piggyback off that work to cap prices here.

“You know, we give credit where credit is due,” the Democratic governor said at a Baltimore news conference.

Even though, he added with a chuckle, “I do have deep disagreements with this federal administration on a collection of different topics, as I know they do with me as well — as the president reminds me every other day.”

Moore is the headliner among a list of dozens of candidates on the ballot this fall who endorse legislation that would allow the state’s Prescription Drug Advisory Board to adopt some of Medicare’s price limits.

The Maryland prescription board has set limits on how much state and local governments will pay starting in 2027 in their workers’ health insurance plans for two drugs: diabetes drug Jardiance and weight-loss drug Ozempic. More drug reviews are in the works, and the board’s work will expand to private-sector insurance plans in 2028. Piggybacking off of Medicare negotiations would accelerate the work, supporters said.

The prescription drug industry opposes both the state’s and the federal government’s efforts at limiting prices. But the concept has drawn wide support in the Maryland General Assembly.

Medicare drug price negotiations started under President Joe Biden and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. But it’s continued under Trump’s team.

Vincent DeMarco, head of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative that has lobbied for drug price limits, also offered begrudging praise for Trump.

“I’m going to be the first person to say that Donald Trump has done some horrible things on healthcare that have hurt tens of thousands of Marylanders, millions of Americans,” DeMarco said. “But his administration is implementing this law well.”

When asked by a reporter to expand on his rare alignment with the president, Moore laughed out loud.

Collecting himself, Moore said he credits Trump for maintaining the program.

“The message to the Trump administration is: If it ain’t broke, don’t try to break it.”