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Let Congress Pay What Seniors Do for Prescriptions Email Print

By accidentalactivist
06/21/2006 11:44:06 AM EST

I think we should demand that Congress pass a simple law, requiring all Congressional members and staffers to switch from whatever health insurance coverage they have now, to Medicare. And, they should all have to enroll in the drug prescription program seniors have been forced into. After all, what's good enough for seniors should be good enough for them, right? Given a report now being circulated by familiesusa.org, it looks like the Republican medicare drug benefit has, as many would have guessed, provided the highest benefits to the drug companies, who have now RAISED their prices on the top 20 drugs seniors take.

While the VA is allowed to negotiate for best prices with the drug companies, the Medicare prescription legislation passed by Congress FORBIDS such negotiation. Is it any wonder that of the top 20 drugs taken by seniors, the costs have gone up this year and are astronomically higher than the prices the VA negotiated?

Here's a portion of the report from familiesusa.org:

  • For each of the top 20 drugs prescribed to seniors, the lowest price charged by any Part D plan was higher than the lowest price secured by the VA.
  • Among those top 20 drugs, the median difference between the lowest Part D plan price and the lowest VA price was 46 percent. In other words, for half of the 20 drugs, the lowest price charged by any Part D plan was at least 46 percent higher than the lowest price secured by the VA.
  • For Zocor (20 mg), the lowest VA price for a year's treatment was $127.44, while the lowest Part D plan price was $1,275.36, a difference of $1,147.92 or 901 percent. For Zocor (40 mg), the lowest VA price for a year's treatment was $190.76, while the lowest Part D plan price was $1,275.36, a difference of $1,084.60 or 569 percent.
  • For Protonix (40 mg), the lowest VA price for a year's treatment was $214.45, while the lowest Part D plan price was $1,110.96, a difference of $896.51 or 418 percent.
  • For Fosamax (70 mg), the lowest VA price for a year's treatment was $265.32, while the lowest Part D plan price was $727.92, a difference of $462.60 or 174 percent.
  • For Xalatan (0.005%), the lowest VA price for a year's treatment was $279.84, while the lowest Part D plan price was $555.96, a difference of $276.12 or 99 percent.
    • The evidence is staggeringly clear, PROHIBITING the government from negotiating prices for Medicare drugs is COSTING the American people (taxpayers) and our seniors STAGGERING amounts of money.

    For more information, check out the entire report.


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    Let Congress Pay What Seniors Do for Prescriptions | 2 comments (2 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
    Congress is so removed from reality... (none / 0)
    for example, even the worst 1-term senators and 2-term reps receive for the rest of their lives, FULL benefits. FULL pay. FULL everything.

    Even Tom Delay. Even Rob Ney. All of them.

    Maybe they deserve it. Maybe they don't. Either way, they are likely to lose touch with the common wo/man.

    Political Cortex -- Brain Food for the Body Politic

    by Tom Ball on 06/21/2006 02:49:05 PM EST

    We Demand congress repeal Medicare Part D (none / 0)
    We Demand congress repeal Medicare Part D and Replace it with 80 percent medication coverage in Medicare Part B

    http://groups.myspace.com/m edicareprescriptiondrugs

    by WWWoBUYBLUEoBIZ on 06/25/2006 02:59:08 AM EST

    Let Congress Pay What Seniors Do for Prescriptions | 2 comments (2 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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