Republicans are philosophically opposed to price controls, which play a role in some schemes to expand coverage, and few Democrats openly advocate such regulation.
August 15: U.S. Government institutes Phase I price controls.
The domestic picture is complicated by the fact that not all products have been subjected to price controls.
Drug companies object to price controls, and most Republicans and some conservative Democrats want a program run by private insurance companies and with limited coverage.
The OPEC oil embargo led to price controls and gasoline rationing, as well as higher prices.
Amendments to the bill that were filed last week would eliminate sections that refiners and suppliers said amounted to price controls.
Pharmaceutical companies, adamantly opposed to price controls, prefer to deal with dozens of private buyers rather than a single federal agency.
Four years ago, a Democrat was in the White House and the industry was bitterly fighting a prescription drug proposal that it said would have led to price controls.
He said he opposed price controls on drugs because he is generally opposed to price controls.
The industry is bitterly opposed to price controls or other restraints on profits, which it fears would be an inevitable outgrowth of adding a drug benefit to the traditional Medicare program.