The scam behind the $200 drug gift certificates

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/24/seniors-200-gift-certificates-prescription-drug/

ASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday pledged to send $200 prescription drug coupons to 33 million Medicare beneficiaries “in the coming weeks,” a political ploy to curry favor with seniors who view drug prices as a priority.

Trump’s promise comes less than six weeks before Election Day, and represents the latest step in his administration’s (and his campaign’s) efforts to amass health care talking points, even if their actions do little to save Americans money.

The administration is getting its authority to ship the coupons from a Medicare demonstration program, a White House spokesman told STAT in a statement. The nearly $7 billion required to send the coupons, he said, would come from savings from Trump’s “most favored nations” drug pricing proposal. That regulation has also not yet been implemented — meaning the Trump administration is effectively pledging to spend $6.6 billion in savings that do not currently exist. The cards, he said, would be “actual discount cards for prescription drug copays.”

Trump also bragged about a new regulation allowing states and pharmacies to import prescription drugs from Canada. While the administration did publish a Food and Drug Administration regulation on importation Thursday, states would still need to apply to participate and then would have to set up new programs to actually begin importing drugs.

*snip*

[soothsayer]

1. Carnival barker.

[Grasswire2]

8. shell game nt

[zebrapa]

2. Donate

If I'm among those getting 200.00, I'm donating it to various Democratic senate candidates.

[Dem2theMax]

3. +1. nt.

[marlakay]

5. I heard its not money

Just a discount voucher on some medicines. Which is bullshit another scam hopefully people will realize is fake. Biden needs to call him out on it at the debates where older Americans who watch can know the truth. And add that voting for him is ending SS and medicare.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. Oh, dear lord. That is even worse than an actual deficit raising $200.

I don't happen to take any prescription meds, myself. I wonder if I could just mail my card, assuming we actually get them, to a friend of mine who does take several medications.

And even though I know that plenty of seniors out there are terribly strapped for the cash to pay for their medicine, I honestly hope this doesn't happen.

[marlakay]

9. Same here my hubby only one on medicare

Pays about $10 every 3 months for the one drug he takes. Same for me but I am not on medicare till next summer.

We have pretty good insurance and medicare supplemental.

If they do send it out I would try to give away also.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. I will pat myself on the back and

say that I gave away the $1200 stimulus money I got back in, whenever the first round of deposits went out. I gave half to a local homeless shelter (where I volunteer) and the other half to a local food bank. It felt so incredibly good to do so. Yeah, I could have kept the money and spent it on myself, but I'm doing just fine and was happy to give it away.

[marlakay]

12. Really nice

We have been helping local businesses because of major fires a few weeks ago. I live in southern oregon.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. Good for you.

I'm in New Mexico, no fires here. But no matter where we live there are local things that need money.

[keithbvadu2]

4. Buying votes with national debt.

[JDC]

6. A shell game w no pea

[orwell]

11. The new regime...

...stop all real bills in the Senate.

Rule by dictat from the White house.

Control the courts to give it that nice legal polish.

Sounds like a banana republic to me...

[TheBlackAdder]

14. Can he just give out billions without the House approviing the expense?

[Tanuki]

15. From article in the OP:

https://www.statnews.com/2020/09/24/seniors-200-gift-certificates-prescription-drug/

"It is unclear whether Trump’s promises on $200 credits for prescription drug coupons will come to fruition. Under the Constitution, it is Congress, not the White House, that is empowered to spend taxpayer money, and it is unclear where the roughly $6.6 billion for the program would come from. The idea has never been formally proposed or sketched out by health officials, though the New York Times reported this week that Trump officials had tried to convince the pharmaceutical industry to pay for similar cards worth $100. The drug industry refused.

A spokesperson for PhRMA, the drug industry trade group, said that “one-time savings cards will neither provide lasting help, nor advance the fundamental reforms necessary to help seniors better afford their medicines.”

Trump’s remarks followed a similarly puzzling press briefing orchestrated by two top administration health advisers. During a Thursday afternoon call with reporters, the administration teased a “historic” health care plan likely to kickstart “the most consequential health care reform in American history.”

The actual policies they announced, however, are simple, superficial, and non-binding executive orders. Neither will improve the quality of Americans’ health care or lower its cost."...(more)

[TheBlackAdder]

18. Thanks. As you can tell, I didn't drill down into it.

[Solly Mack]

16. Trump business model.

Money he doesn't have pledged to guarantee something he can't deliver.

[Nevilledog]

19. Perfect description.

[Sunsky]

17. He seems to be giving away lots of money

(or announce that he is) right before the election. Hmm. This man is outrightly trying to buy votes with our money. Desperate moves from a desperate man.

[ecstatic]

20. Discount cards??

He's betting they won't attempt to use the cards before election day. He's such a con artist!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

21. Another lame ass attempt to buy the election