How CRAZY is it that WALMART negotiates drug prices but the U.S. gov't won't???

The ads say that Walmart is offering "over three hundred prescriptions for four dollars."

It's astounding that our leaders would cut a deal with big pharma that neither allows the gov't to negotiate prices nor allows reimportation of drugs from other countries.

I've been hoping that the drug deal was just a rumor, but Senator Moran (at the town hall in VA with Howard Dean) confirmed it tonight.

Unrec all you want ~ it is flat-out CRAZY that Walmart negotiates prices and the gov't won't!!!

money on those meds. Capitalism works.

...and doesn't agree with it.

If Walmart is still making money at $4, think how overpriced meds are everywhere else!

until three in the morning and went around strongarming everyone--

i remember randi talking about it repeatedly--one of the holdouts had a kid who was running for office that the top pukes assured would lose his ass and they would find someone to run against the kid.

he caved. finally.

three in the morning--

a $4 prescription they are simple loss leaders of the cheapest stuff on the market.

I plan to use it at every available opportunity. The reluctance/refusal/cowardice/corruptness of our government in NOT negotiating drug prices when any other entity does is the most glaring example of sleaze/bribery/exploitation/ at our fingertips.

It is NOT or EVER explainable.

I may kick your observation every day.

...after hearing the Senator talk about our drug deal ~ INSANE!

They are very common generic drugs and even then only generic drugs with multiple manufacturers. Things like Prednisone and Amoxicillin. These aren't negotiated prices with pharma or even individual generic companies.

In most cases they are loss leaders, the cheapest medicines available in any case.

On edit: The Stop and Shop chain here is offering free antibiotics, just because it gets you in the store and maybe you'll give them your more expensive prescriptions to go along with it.

"The PBMs promise customers they're getting lower prices because drug makers and retail pharmacies give them discounts for buying in large quantities or sending patients their way. But it's often unclear how much of that discount is passed on to customers.

The new competition from drug retailers aims to provide more certainty -- and better prices -- to companies. Wal-Mart says it, too, can negotiate lower prices because it buys large quantities. It says it passes more of that savings on to its clients than PBMs do. PBM representatives declined to discuss their pricing policies.

Wal-Mart records a profit for each drug sale and benefits by drawing customers to its stores, who may make other purchases, from groceries to hardware."


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124138786561981235.html

Bush-era law.

Because if they want to do business with Pharmacare
and have access to 30 Million customers they have to.

And they still make tons of money.

The 'Doctor' who is the spokesman for Freedom Works
owns a health care company that pleaded no contest
to defrauding Medicare to the tune of $110 Million

Unless the government has the power to negotiate
drug an medical supply costs AT LEAST for Medicare
then Medicare costs will continue to rise.

Private enterprise in America has come to accept
fraud and theft as standard and acceptable business
practices.

They even have their own political party. It's
called the Republican Party. Who love big government
as long as they can make money from it.

Take that!

:rofl:

:hi:

:hi:

"Current law actually makes it illegal for Medicare to negotiate discounts on drug prices. Companies across America negotiate on the prices they pay for the goods they buy, and Medicare should have the same right. The time has come to end this shameful abuse and stand with our seniors."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-edward-m-kennedy-/priorities-for-the-110th-_b_37870.html

August, 2009 - Waxman takes up the fight

“We don’t have any deal with them, and the whole enterprise of doing health insurance for all Americans isn’t to make the drug companies happy, or wealthier,” Mr. Waxman said. “They’re going to make a lot of money when we insure all Americans. There’s no argument for them to get a windfall.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/health/policy/26dual.html?_r=1

And the five Republican cosponsors of Medicare D are now Million dollar a year lobbyist for five different drug companies.:smoke: