Premier Responds to the Administration’s Call for Input on Trade Policies

Premier submitted comments in response to the US Trade Representative (USTR)’s solicitation for feedback on the America First Trade Policy Presidential Memorandum and the Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs Presidential Memorandum. In its letter, Premier recommended that any unified trade policy ensure that overarching goals are met while minimizing impact to the US healthcare supply chain and the downstream impact to patient care. Specifically, Premier urged the Administration to adopt a balanced approach to implementing tariffs by:

• Clearly defining which healthcare products are subject to tariffs;
• Implementing tariffs gradually to allow manufacturers and providers time to adjust;
• Considering Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval timelines when shifting supply sources; and
• Increasing supply chain transparency with public reporting on the country of origin for federally purchased healthcare products.

In its comments, Premier called for a multi-pronged approach to improving the resiliency of the healthcare supply chain that includes:

• Tax incentives to encourage domestic manufacturing investments;
• The establishment of trusted trade partnerships to diversify sourcing for critical medical products;
• Expedited FDA approvals that prioritize domestically manufactured medical supplies;
• Differential reimbursement to incentivize hospitals to purchase U.S.-made medical supplies;
• Government purchasing mandates to strengthen “Buy American” requirements for critical healthcare products;
• Real-time inventory management to improve supply chain tracking for emergency preparedness; and
• Reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act to ensure readiness for future public health crises.

Premier’s comments reflect our continued efforts to shield healthcare providers and patients from price increases and shortages as a result of any tariff actions.


Download: Premier Comments on America First Trade EO