Statement from President Obama on agreement to bring down drug prices for seniors

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- "I am pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached between Senator Max Baucus and the nation's pharmaceutical companies that will bring down health care costs and reduce the price of prescription drugs for millions of America's seniors. As part of the health reform legislation that I expect Congress to enact this year, pharmaceutical companies will extend discounts on prescription drugs to millions of seniors who currently are subjected to crushing out-of-pocket expenses when the yearly amounts they pay for medication fall within the "doughnut hole" any payments by seniors not covered by Medicare that fall between $2700 and $6153.75 per year. The existence of this gap in coverage has been a continuing injustice that has placed a great burden on many seniors. This deal will provide significant relief from that burden for millions of American seniors.

"The agreement by pharmaceutical companies to contribute to the health reform effort comes on the heels of the landmark pledge many health industry leaders made to me last month, when they offered to do their part to reduce health spending $2 trillion over the next decade. We are at a turning point in America's journey toward health care reform. Key sectors of the health care industry acknowledge what American families and businesses already know - that the status quo is no longer sustainable. The agreement reached today to lower prescription drug costs for seniors will be an important part of the legislation I expect to sign into law in October. I want to commend House chairmen Henry Waxman, George Miller and Charles Rangel for addressing this issue in the health reform legislation they unveiled this week. This is a tangible example of the type of reform that will lower costs while assuring quality health care for every American."

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on Medicare, who can't afford to see a doctor to get the prescriptions for the medications we need, OR afford the prescriptions?

I mean, it's nice that you've done this tiny little bit, Barack, but it's a drop in the frickin' bucket.

STOP KISSING THE ASSES OF THE INSURANCE COMPANIES.


START TAXING THE RICH.


It's real simple, Barack. Real simple. Just do it.




Tansy Gold

:wtf:

.

The Public Option is another thing all together that he's working on and he said there will not bill without a good public option and WhiteHouse reaffirmed that and even Nancy Pelosi. I'm fed up with the people on this site who aren't looking at the two issues as separate entities---which they are.

health system is for profit.

Those Leaders--Executives know and will tell you they have one
obligation. That is make a profit or earnings for the Investors.

The Adm. has elected not to change the system. Investors drive
the economy by demanding higher and highte earnings--profits.

Withing one year the Insurance and Pharmaceutical Houses will start
increasing costs. They simply must. Wall Street is still in the
Driver's Seat. Investors still drive the economy.

No disrespect intended just a reality check.

Who believes Baucus. He has sold the people out so much,
in favor of Business Interest--I just shrug.

research on profitable drugs such as erection pills will continue to take priority over cancer treatments. When you think too hard about it, it's like our country is a candy store being run by children.

What most people don't realize is that Pharmaceutical and insurance companies are getting hurt with the bad economy. I hope to bring your attention to what happened to Pfizer and it's, almost collapse, until a bail out came through for the company in Europe.

Don't think these companies are immune to a downturn. You'll note even their dirty dealing is extremely muted due to the situation at hand. Which is rather different than the 90s when they could have really pushed the issue. Now they can't do too much.

Anyway, to get back to my point. Due to the economic downturn we're looking at small businesses not being able to ensure their people or whatever people they were ensuring. This lessons the pool and raises insurance prices---small businesses in many cases won't be able to maintain that in the long run---ditto for non-profits and the collapse of many no-profits in the nation. As a note Bernie Madoff took out a lot of non-profits which decreased the pool of people insured which decreased the number of people being insured.

When there is a flood of unemployed people that means there is a flood of uninsured people due to lost jobs. Most people will end up flooding medicaid/or non-insurance after failing to pay cobra for the first few months. That means insurance and pharmaceutical companies have been losing. Ie uninsured, no medicine, no medicine---means no medicine bought, no medicine bought means over supply of medicine for pharmaceutical companies---which means either much lower cost or they will lose money--leading to less R&D.

In any event, there is no way in a year the insurance company will be able to raise taxes because even people who are working post unemployment and have found small jobs are working with no benefits.

That means no matter what the insurance company is screwed. They can't afford to raise insurance prices except on the rich who are still maintaining their insurance---or those who are making the payments barely.

In the end, if a legislation is passed with a cap in place there is nothing the insurance company can do even if a year later the economy improves and they are doing better, which is highly improbable---since by and large people's income or even decrease in unemployment lags way behind the initial recovery period.


As for Wall Street in the driver's seat I find that funny. You know it's not Wall Street that's the culprit in much of anything. If anything Wall Street is the middle man. You need to target Banks, small and large, and investment companies. They are the culprit, they're the ones using Wall Street to play their dirty deals. This is why I want a regulation commission and Obama is already in the process of finishing up legislation to put that through. You can find articles on this all over the board. There are a lot of things in the works simultaneously as they should be, they come into affect at different times to create the best outcome.

Relatively there is a process at hand and as such people need to keep that in mind. Finally, I'm not a fan of Baucus; but if anyone listened to Obama during the primaries and when he became President you would be aware there are several parts to the Health care reformation plan.

1. There would be a public option---which is still in the works.
2. Obama has always said that for those who want to keep their insurance they would negotiate with the private insurance and Pharmaceutical companies (for lower medication prices).
3. There would be major IT innovation to bring down costs.

The first would cause a major influx of facility need which would stimulate the economy. The second if met with a cap and tax on the the private insurance and Big Pharma will lead to lower prices (and due to the economy for people to be able to retain insurance and not end up flooding the Public Option---insurance companies will do almost anything. And the last is just a good way to save on costs in the long run.

So there are several parts to this plan and in my general 3 listed he's met 2/3rds. This achievement by dealing with the private sector to lower costs and he already has several billions I believe 950 Billion or million dollars aside through stimulus funding to meet the cost of IT innovation and replacement.

So that leaves the public option which is being worked on, has to meet his four requirements, and the details of funding this program being implemented. Personally I would dismantle medicare/medicaid/schip and put them all together in one grouping along with the new plan---saves a lot on administrative costs and ensures universal care.

Stupid, too.

This may very well be a victory; let's wait and see.

It won't happen if all of us just sit back and wait to see what will happen.

We need to work like heck to see it happen.

With no competition, all bets are off. And that goes for the public option as well and why the insurance companies are fighting it so hard.

I think it should be one thing. It would save on costs and cut back on all the departments. The problem is that it would be a horrible logistical nightmare to introduce, fix, and establish. But it would work better in the end. It's always seemingly easier to just create a new department than merge the others. Conflicts of interests, specificity, and various other things.

that morning waiting for all the votes to be counted........went to bed with just a handful of votes left to be cast had to work the next day, and when I woke up, the D*MN BILL HAD PASSED!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: Oh yeah, do not get me started on that business. :mad: :mad: :mad: as you can see I'm still not over it.