Axelrod, Christie Debate Health Care Politics
Political analysts David Axelrod and Chris Christie discussed election outcomes and health care policy at the LUGPA 2026 annual meeting in Chicago.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Healthcare
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Should the government crack down on pharmacy benefit managers to lower drug prices?
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spoke at the LUGPA 2026 annual meeting in Chicago about election outcomes and health care politics. Christie pointed to rising gas prices and tariffs as sources of dissatisfaction with the Trump administration.
Why it matters
The discussion highlights pharmacy benefit managers as a possible area for bipartisan agreement in the next Congress. Christie's New Jersey experience offers a concrete example of how state-level policy can shape drug cost outcomes.
Christie cited $500 million in savings in one year from New Jersey's reverse auctions for pharmacy benefit managers. The figure was stated by a speaker at the conference, and the source does not indicate an independent audit or the baseline it was measured against.
The players
David Axelrod
Axelrod is a political strategist who served as chief strategist for Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and later as a senior adviser to the Obama administration.
Chris Christie
Christie is a former federal prosecutor and Republican governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018 who has since become a prominent political commentator.
LUGPA
LUGPA is a physician organization whose 2026 annual meeting in Chicago hosted the discussion.
The details
Axelrod, who was chief strategist for Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns and later a senior adviser to the administration, joined Christie, a former federal prosecutor and New Jersey governor from 2010 to 2018, for the discussion. Christie also suggested President Donald Trump might pursue health care deals if they prove popular with the public.
Timeline
2008 and 2012: Axelrod served as chief strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaigns.
2010 to 2018: Christie served as governor of New Jersey.
2026: The LUGPA annual meeting was held in Chicago.
Next Congress: Axelrod said bipartisan consensus on pharmacy benefit managers may be possible.
Market Landscape
New Jersey's reverse auction model for pharmacy benefit managers is cited as a template for cost reduction in drug purchasing. The discussion suggests that PBM reform may draw bipartisan interest as a distinct policy area separate from broader health care debates.
Pharmacy benefit manager reforms can influence the prices patients pay at the pharmacy counter and the reimbursement landscape for independent pharmacies. Readers who fill prescriptions should watch for federal action on PBM practices in the coming session.
The takeaway
Drug cost policy is becoming a rare area where officials across party lines see room for agreement. Watching how PBM reforms move through Congress will show whether state models like New Jersey's can scale nationally.
What happens next
Axelrod said there may be an opportunity to find bipartisan consensus on pharmacy benefit managers in the next Congress.
Further reading
Explore more on Healthcare policy and industry developments across the United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Renal and Urology News.
Live Poll
Should the government crack down on pharmacy benefit managers to lower drug prices?
