HEY! New House bill has Gov negotiating prices for Medicare drugs! H U G E

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Thanks to flpoljunkie for pointing this out over in GDP
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8722543

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/health/policy/30health.html?hp
Democrats in House Present $894 Billion Health Package
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: October 29, 2009

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The measure includes a new provision that would require the secretary of health and human services to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, a proposal that is anathema to pharmaceutical companies

My friends, fasten your seatbelts!! The House has taken it to the streets with this. This is big. It couldn't be bigger. These guys have flown in the face of the pharma deal cut by Baucus in the Finance Committee reportedly with White House oversight.

Hats off to Nancy and the Dems in Congress for this one - righting one of the biggest travesties ever passed when the original Medicare Part D did not do this.

This alone will save so much money that we are well on our way to having some decent healthcare in this country for all.

Sidenote - could this be the backstory for the other pharma story in the bill - the one about biologic drugs never having generics put in by Eshoo? That story:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6885456&mesg_id=6885456

Was there a tradeoff?

There is so much to assimilate in all of this.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. Oh there's that unrec you always get with pharma stories! nt.

[laughingliberal]

5. rec'd. WTF is with those unrec's on Phrma threads? nt

[Ardent15]

2. K and R

This is good news.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Good news if they can hold the line...

Let's hope and work to support.

[Cant trust em]

4. This is why I want to go back to school to study public policy.

There are so many cross strains of interpretations here that I find my head to be spinning.

[polichick]

6. Will this undo the WH deal with pharma about this?? nt

[Cant trust em]

7. The WH deal was that they wouldn't push for it.

Congress is free to do whatever they want.

Not like it was a legally binding agreement anyway.

[polichick]

9. Sure hope this stays in the final bill. nt

[Oregone]

8. "There is so much to assimilate in all of this"

Don't get caught up too much in the roller coaster, which may or may not be of design. The final bill will give everyone a good look of what will actually be (though still no crystal ball will exist).

[Nikki Stone1]

10. Bill start out in their strong position. They get negotiated down.

.

[Cant trust em]

12. nevermind. nt

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

11. Everyone - DO NOT LET THEM NEGOTIATE THIS OUT!!!!

in the merger.

Feet to the fire time. Every single country on the face of the planet negotiates drug costs, except us until now.

[tridim]

13. This fits with my pet theory that cheap stem-cell therapy is about to become reality

Without negotiating power the drug companies and private insurance could easily keep it artificially expensive.

A healthy populous is extremely bad for the insurance companies.

[John Q. Citizen]

16. A healthy populous is good for the insurance companies. They pay out far less.

[old mark]

14. I certainly hope they do something to get rid of the assinine

"donut hole" that the GOP put into the Medicare drug benefit - it costs those who can least afford it huge amounts of money that are funneled directly into the Pharma's profit - and lobbyists bribes for the Congress.

mark

[John Q. Citizen]

15. That is interesting. Since Obama made the deal with pharma, does that mean he will direct his

Secretary to accept the current price schedule?

[unblock]

17. for medicare only? not for the mandated insurance everyone else has to buy?

and "negotiate" does not necessarily mean "negotiate well".
we certainly know how "negotiations" would go under the republicans.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

18. late night kick. What a day! nt