Saturday, April 21, 2007
CORPORATE WELFARE FOR PHARMACEUTICALS
Although suspicious, it was difficult for the Militant Moderate to discern clearly the motive behind the Medicare prescription plan passed by the republican controlled congress. This law adding an expensive extension of an entitlement by the republican congress in 2005 was puzzling.
Normally republicans look with outright disdain upon entitlements of any kind. Medicare was opposed by the republicans when it passed a democrat congress some four decades ago. Even though AARP had advocated extension of Medicare to prescription drugs, their influence with republicans had been minimal.
The prescription drug law was bi-partisan in the sense of there actually being some kind of plan. However, certain features of the plan were quite partisan. Republicans insisted on private insurance companies having the business. The also borbade any negotiation by the government for discounts on drug prices. Democrats unsuccessfully opposed those features.
When the new Medicare plan hit the streets iin 2006, there was mass confusion everywhere. There were 40 or so insurance companies with different coverage, all meeting Medicare requirements. Seniors were confused. Pharmacists were confused. Claims processors were confused. It was a madhouse.
Involvement of private insurers caused confusion, and brought increased costs for individuals and for the government. Failure to use mass purchasing power to reduce the cost of drugs was reprehensible.
The inflation of drug prices in the United States has been outrageous the last two decades. This Medicare law has allowed drug prices to continue to escalate unchecked. Americans are paying higher and higher prices, compared with citizens of foreign countries importing these same drugs.
The past trips by seniors to Canada to save on drugs have been well known. Our own state pharmacies are forbidden to sell re-imported identical drugs. Medicare cannot have drug companies bid or negotiate on drugs, as does the Veterans Administration.
Headlines in some newspapers this past week read: "Senate Republicans Block Medicare Drug Discounts." In line with promises made in the last election, democrats in the senate have a bill which would allow Medicare to negotiate for drug discounts in the marketplace. They could not get the ten republican votes necessary to reach the 60 necessary to allow consideration and a vote on this reform measure.
Has anyone noticed all the TV ads, paid for by pharmaceutical companies, telling us that we should leave the prescription drug plan alone and not want changes? Wonder why? Has anyone seen the reports of huge campaign donations by these same companies, mostly to republicans? Wonder why? Has anyone heard of the travel junkets provided congressmen by pharmacy and insurance companies? Has anyone heard that there are more pharmaceutical lobbyists on Capitol Hill than there are congressmen? Wonder why?
Anyone want to guess how Oklahoma's two senators voted on refusing consideration to drug price reforms in Medicare? Who were they representing?
The voters in America should pace the responsibility for high drug prices, especially the high cost of the senior plan, squarely where this belongs. It should be attributed to the greed of pharmaceuticals, and the influence of big money on the republican party.
Pandering to corporate greed at taxpayers' expense and at the expense of the elderly and poor seems immoral to the Militant Moderate.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Normally republicans look with outright disdain upon entitlements of any kind. Medicare was opposed by the republicans when it passed a democrat congress some four decades ago. Even though AARP had advocated extension of Medicare to prescription drugs, their influence with republicans had been minimal.
The prescription drug law was bi-partisan in the sense of there actually being some kind of plan. However, certain features of the plan were quite partisan. Republicans insisted on private insurance companies having the business. The also borbade any negotiation by the government for discounts on drug prices. Democrats unsuccessfully opposed those features.
When the new Medicare plan hit the streets iin 2006, there was mass confusion everywhere. There were 40 or so insurance companies with different coverage, all meeting Medicare requirements. Seniors were confused. Pharmacists were confused. Claims processors were confused. It was a madhouse.
Involvement of private insurers caused confusion, and brought increased costs for individuals and for the government. Failure to use mass purchasing power to reduce the cost of drugs was reprehensible.
The inflation of drug prices in the United States has been outrageous the last two decades. This Medicare law has allowed drug prices to continue to escalate unchecked. Americans are paying higher and higher prices, compared with citizens of foreign countries importing these same drugs.
The past trips by seniors to Canada to save on drugs have been well known. Our own state pharmacies are forbidden to sell re-imported identical drugs. Medicare cannot have drug companies bid or negotiate on drugs, as does the Veterans Administration.
Headlines in some newspapers this past week read: "Senate Republicans Block Medicare Drug Discounts." In line with promises made in the last election, democrats in the senate have a bill which would allow Medicare to negotiate for drug discounts in the marketplace. They could not get the ten republican votes necessary to reach the 60 necessary to allow consideration and a vote on this reform measure.
Has anyone noticed all the TV ads, paid for by pharmaceutical companies, telling us that we should leave the prescription drug plan alone and not want changes? Wonder why? Has anyone seen the reports of huge campaign donations by these same companies, mostly to republicans? Wonder why? Has anyone heard of the travel junkets provided congressmen by pharmacy and insurance companies? Has anyone heard that there are more pharmaceutical lobbyists on Capitol Hill than there are congressmen? Wonder why?
Anyone want to guess how Oklahoma's two senators voted on refusing consideration to drug price reforms in Medicare? Who were they representing?
The voters in America should pace the responsibility for high drug prices, especially the high cost of the senior plan, squarely where this belongs. It should be attributed to the greed of pharmaceuticals, and the influence of big money on the republican party.
Pandering to corporate greed at taxpayers' expense and at the expense of the elderly and poor seems immoral to the Militant Moderate.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
