Post by unlawflcombatnt on Apr 15, 2007 15:38:30 GMT -6
Apparently a bill "allowing" the government to negotiate drug prices is a far cry from actually forcing the government to negotiate drug prices with the American Pharmaceutical Cartel. Not surprisingly, Bush's Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mike Leavitt, has no intentions of bargaining with Big Pharma to lower prices. That might reduce the exorbitant profits they're making at the taxpayer's expense. It's nice to know Bush appointed a true friend of Big Pharma, and not the American people, to oversee the Prescription Drug-Pharmaceutical Company Welfare Bill. Once again, Bush has appointed someone who represents only Corporate America, at the expense of the American people.
Below is an excerpt from an article from The Hill.com, titled Finance Committee set to lift Rx drug pricing ban, which describes the latest activity on allowing (and hopefully "mandating") that the government negotiate Medicare Drug prices with drug companies.
"By Elana Schor
April 11, 2007
The Senate Finance Committee is set to approve narrowly a plan from Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to lift a ban on government price negotiation for Medicare prescription drugs. Yet on the floor, the proposal’s future is uncertain.
Following a likely committee approval Thursday, opposition by GOP lawmakers and many Democrats, who aim to force the Bush administration to negotiate lower-priced drugs for seniors, threaten to derail Baucus’s effort when it reaches the Senate floor next week.
The Medicare negotiation bill removes a curb on the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) power to negotiate drug prices, but does not mandate that the HHS chief conduct such negotiations. Current Secretary Mike Leavitt has said he will not exercise the right to do so. Although stronger language requiring government negotiation won 54 backers in a March 2006 Senate test vote, the Democratic cosponsor of that effort said he would back Baucus — during Thursday’s markup, at least.
“It’s important that we prevail tomorrow,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said. “That’s the first step.”
Wyden added that he and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) still are “counting votes” for their stronger negotiation plan, which mandates Leavitt to push for low pricing on targeted drugs, including single-source medicines. Four freshman senators appear to support Wyden and Snowe’s approach, putting them “right on the cusp of 60 votes,” as Wyden put it.
Any attempt by Wyden and Snowe to beef up Baucus’s version of the bill will wait until it comes to the floor, however, when other Democrats are likely to float amendments.
“We will have many people in the caucus, myself included, who feel legislation of this type should mandate negotiation,” the Democratic Policy Committee chairman, Sen. Byron Dorgan (N.D.), said. “There will be amendments on the floor, sure.”...."
The entire article can be found at
Finance Committee set to lift Rx drug pricing ban
Below is an excerpt from an article from The Hill.com, titled Finance Committee set to lift Rx drug pricing ban, which describes the latest activity on allowing (and hopefully "mandating") that the government negotiate Medicare Drug prices with drug companies.
"By Elana Schor
April 11, 2007
The Senate Finance Committee is set to approve narrowly a plan from Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to lift a ban on government price negotiation for Medicare prescription drugs. Yet on the floor, the proposal’s future is uncertain.
Following a likely committee approval Thursday, opposition by GOP lawmakers and many Democrats, who aim to force the Bush administration to negotiate lower-priced drugs for seniors, threaten to derail Baucus’s effort when it reaches the Senate floor next week.
The Medicare negotiation bill removes a curb on the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) power to negotiate drug prices, but does not mandate that the HHS chief conduct such negotiations. Current Secretary Mike Leavitt has said he will not exercise the right to do so. Although stronger language requiring government negotiation won 54 backers in a March 2006 Senate test vote, the Democratic cosponsor of that effort said he would back Baucus — during Thursday’s markup, at least.
“It’s important that we prevail tomorrow,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said. “That’s the first step.”
Wyden added that he and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) still are “counting votes” for their stronger negotiation plan, which mandates Leavitt to push for low pricing on targeted drugs, including single-source medicines. Four freshman senators appear to support Wyden and Snowe’s approach, putting them “right on the cusp of 60 votes,” as Wyden put it.
Any attempt by Wyden and Snowe to beef up Baucus’s version of the bill will wait until it comes to the floor, however, when other Democrats are likely to float amendments.
“We will have many people in the caucus, myself included, who feel legislation of this type should mandate negotiation,” the Democratic Policy Committee chairman, Sen. Byron Dorgan (N.D.), said. “There will be amendments on the floor, sure.”...."
The entire article can be found at
Finance Committee set to lift Rx drug pricing ban