Lawmakers: Time to rewrite costly Medicare drug law

[struggle4progress]

By JILL ZUCKMAN and MARK SILVA
Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON - Frustrated that new estimates show the cost of the Medicare prescription drug program skyrocketing, some lawmakers on Capitol Hill said yesterday that the law should be rewritten to require the government to negotiate for better deals from drug makers and to allow patients to buy drugs from Canada.

"This is what happens when you forbid Medicare from negotiating lower prices from pharmaceutical companies, and you forbid Medicare employees from telling the truth about how much the law will cost until after it's passed," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the assistant Senate Democratic leader. "We must put providing real help for seniors ahead of lining the pockets of the corporations that benefit when seniors get sick." <snip>

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said yesterday that Congress should hold oversight hearings and then rewrite the Medicare law. "The law the Republicans passed was larded up with billions of dollars for a slush fund for HMOs and windfall profits for the big drug companies," Pelosi said.

Republicans, who are increasingly anxious about cutting the deficit, also expressed discomfort with the increased costs. <snip>

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/lawmakerstime10.htm

[GetTheRightVote]

1. Wow, that makes it obvious what * & repubs were about, money

Making the Democrats look like the good guys, thank you repubs.

:kick:

[struggle4progress]

3. They call themselves the Ownership Society for a reason. eom

[wellst0nev0ter]

2. How To Contain Costs on the "Viagra Bill"

first, eliminate coverage for the namesake of the bill . . .

[proudbluestater]

4. I agree with Nancy Pelosi

H"ouse Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said yesterday that Congress should hold oversight hearings and then rewrite the Medicare law. "The law the Republicans passed was larded up with billions of dollars for a slush fund for HMOs and windfall profits for the big drug companies," Pelosi said."

If what they voted on was a FAR CRY from what they were TOLD it was going to be, time to revote/renegotiate the bill. You can't have people vote on a bill and then tell us it is going to cost 3X what they SAID it was going to cost. And most of the $$$$$ goes to drug companies. Who needs it?