Are Drug Companies Raising Prices Ahead of Health Care Reform?
Congressional Democrats are calling for investigations into a recent increase in prescription drug prices. Lawmakers are concerned that drug makers may be trying to make extra money before reforms aimed at lowering prices possibly go into effect. This, after the nation's top lobbying group for elderly Americans said prices for some of the most widely used medicines climbed 9%."I want to know if there's a back-door move underway by the drug makers to recover some of the concessions they've promised for health care reform," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D), Florida.
Nelson is asking the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general to investigate the issue.
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House leaders sent a letter to the non-partisan Government Accountability Office, asking it to compare drug prices against the Consumer Price Index and to analyze which specific drugs accounted for the biggest price changes.
Drug makers "may be artificially raising prices for certain pharmaceutical products in expectation of new reforms," wrote Charles Rangel and Henry Waxman, chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively.
"Any price gouging is unacceptable, but anticipatory price gouging is especially offensive," their letter said.
Drug makers have largely backed Democrats' plan to overhaul the health care system, making a deal with some senators and the White House to provide $80 billion in savings and rebates over 10 years.
Are Drug Companies Raising Prices Ahead of Health Care Reform?
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No Way!
Bite your tongue!
The only two solutions to this problem:
A government takeover of the entire health care system and industry.
A buy out of the entire health care system and industry by a non-profit employee owned corporation made up of all citizens interested in health care.
Funny thing, if our government worked like it ought too, those two things would be only superficially different.
Replacing the middlemen of insurance companies with middlemen of government and insurance companies is freaking stupid.
Obama should veto any bill lacking a universal health care program, and then specifically name every congressman that kept it out, pointing out how rich their pimps are, and then do it without them. How? By drafting everyone into the National Guard and expanding the military health system to include all forms of reservists.
Can't anyone get anything done anymore?
- Submariner November 18, 2009 5:41PM
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I would like to add.
I would also like to point out that most of the Governments in the rest of the world did just what you’re suggesting in adopting a government run health care for everyone and it is working great. It is so sad to see the USA become a country run by the large corporation for the corporation. They have found so many ways to control the government and us citizens with subversion pretending to be everyday people. Never saying who they really are but by using deceptive front names like Democrats for a Better Future when they are fully funded and controlled by a major insurance company.
If we could find a way to change the term limits and lobby laws I think it would go a long way to restoring the health of our country. Just for fun here is my suggestion:
President One Six year term (6 total years in office max)
Senator Two Four Year Terms (8 total years in office)
Representative Six Two Year Terms (12 total years in office)
No one could run for State or Federal office if they have ever worked for a lobby firm, no elected official could work for a lobby firm for 10 years from the end of his term.
- Super Expert
November 22, 2009 1:52PM
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