Let Medicare Negotiate

Recently the Democrats came out of nowhere and introduced a bill to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. The Democrats!  Hooray! Wait, what?  How has this administration not done this already?  Why have the Republicans not done this?  Per the article, “It defies logic that the federal government is not using its enormous purchasing power to get a better deal for seniors on prescription drugs,” Welch (D-Vt.) said.  I agree and I am not a Republican or Democrat. I am a free market guy.  And this sure sounds like a free market idea.

Am I missing something here?