Comments on: Franken on Prescription Drug Reforms http://mnpublius.com/2008/07/franken-on-prescription-drug-reforms/ Tracking Minnesota Politics Since 2005 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:48:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Lavora Copley http://mnpublius.com/2008/07/franken-on-prescription-drug-reforms/#comment-20582 Lavora Copley Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:16:18 +0000 http://mnpublius.com/?p=1817#comment-20582 Remember, the Republicans want Social Security to die...It helps the elderly, the orphaned, the disabled....So of course they voted not to allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies; It will mean less money to continue the whole program, and the privatizing of Social Security and Medicare will be complete. Remember, the Republicans want Social Security to die…It helps the elderly, the orphaned, the disabled….So of course they voted not to allow Medicare to negotiate with drug companies; It will mean less money to continue the whole program, and the privatizing of Social Security and Medicare will be complete.

]]> By: Kathy http://mnpublius.com/2008/07/franken-on-prescription-drug-reforms/#comment-20533 Kathy Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:57:34 +0000 http://mnpublius.com/?p=1817#comment-20533 A large chunk of a Senior's retirement income goes towards paying for needed medications. How shameful is it that Medicare was banned from getting lower costs for their recipients when teh Medicare Part D was designed??? Who were the Republican Reps. and Senators who voted against Medicare??? American made Drugs are cheaper in Canada is because Canada's Health Care System has Price controls. Much of Europe is the same way. So therefore to make up the difference, Americans pay up to 400% as much for the same medications. Interestingly enough who dictates what treatments and medications people need...The INSURANCE COMPANIES and DRUG COMPANIES. What happened to putting Health Care needs back into the hands of the Doctors??? Good for AL!!! Bad for Norm!!! A large chunk of a Senior’s retirement income goes towards paying for needed medications. How shameful is it that Medicare was banned from getting lower costs for their recipients when teh Medicare Part D was designed??? Who were the Republican Reps. and Senators who voted against Medicare???

American made Drugs are cheaper in Canada is because Canada’s Health Care System has Price controls. Much of Europe is the same way. So therefore to make up the difference, Americans pay up to 400% as much for the same medications.

Interestingly enough who dictates what treatments and medications people need…The INSURANCE COMPANIES and DRUG COMPANIES. What happened to putting Health Care needs back into the hands of the Doctors???

Good for AL!!! Bad for Norm!!!

]]> By: Patronius http://mnpublius.com/2008/07/franken-on-prescription-drug-reforms/#comment-20530 Patronius Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:12:20 +0000 http://mnpublius.com/?p=1817#comment-20530 News you can use: Government report last week on the operation of Medicare Part D (the Bush/Coleman drug plan) showed that drugs purchased through Part D averaged costing 30% more than the same drugs purchased through Medicare A&B (normal Medicare)which allows negotiation for prices. US consumers would save $70 billion a year if everyone paid the price negotiated by the Veteran's Administration Health Care system. The government tried to spin the news on Part D by pointing out that it had not cost as much as originally projected -- this partly due to lower than expected enrollment and partly due to the administration habit of putting up ultrahigh projections so that when the bad news eventually arrives they can brag that it is better than they thought. The classic example has been deficit projections placed so high that they can then be beaten, although this year even those projections are being exceeded. News you can use: Government report last week on the operation of Medicare Part D (the Bush/Coleman drug plan) showed that drugs purchased through Part D averaged costing 30% more than the same drugs purchased through Medicare A&B (normal Medicare)which allows negotiation for prices. US consumers would save $70 billion a year if everyone paid the price negotiated by the Veteran’s Administration Health Care system.

The government tried to spin the news on Part D by pointing out that it had not cost as much as originally projected — this partly due to lower than expected enrollment and partly due to the administration habit of putting up ultrahigh projections so that when the bad news eventually arrives they can brag that it is better than they thought. The classic example has been deficit projections placed so high that they can then be beaten, although this year even those projections are being exceeded.

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