Americans Back Price Negotiations On Medicare Drugs

[cal04]

A new poll shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans favor allowing the government to negotiate prescription drug prices for the Medicare program, suggesting there will be considerable political pressure on the next Congress to do so.

Eight-five percent of the 1,867 adults polled in the Kaiser Family Foundation survey released yesterday said they favored such negotiations, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents.

For weeks, House Democrats have pledged to use their majority control of the next Congress to repeal a provision in the 2003 Medicare drug benefit law that prevents the government from engaging in drug price negotiations. Yesterday, a top aide to House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said Democrats would pass legislation in the first 100 hours directing the Bush administration to use its bargaining power. The White House opposes the move.

"Given the administration's opposition to doing anything, I think there was a feeling we had to go a little bit further," said Wendell Primus, Pelosi's adviser on health issues. "It will be very simple language. We do not think that Congress needs to hammer out all the details. There are a lot of smart people in the administration that can look at how we're buying drugs . . . and figure out the best way of negotiating better prices with drug companies."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/08/AR2006120801578.html

[marmar]

1. 85 percent....Sounds like a mandate to me.

:think:

[Nickster]

2. How in the heck is it only 85%?? It's common sense that Medicare should

be allowed to negotiate for lower prices. Unless of course you are profiting from the overpriced drugs.

[indepat]

3. The 13% who approve of the Congress must like price-fixing for the benefit of big pharma

and to the detriment of those on Medicare Part D too: that they are fools is as certain as the past three Congresses were venal.

Edited: verb tense