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DrugBuyers
Administrator
Reged: 11/18/01
Posts: 1300
Loc: DrugBuyers.Com
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http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/07/19/factsheet.prescription/index.html
The high cost of prescription drugs has proved to be a potent political issue -- particularly among elderly voters.
With that in mind, Democrats and Republicans both say they want to help rein in costs and prevent some seniors from having to choose between their medicine and food. But the parties disagree on how best to achieve that goal.
In general, Republicans favor an approach that would cost the government less and rely mainly on private insurers to administer a drug benefit plan.
Most Democrats want a government-administered program -- one, they say, that would provide seniors with greater coverage and fewer out-of-pocket expenses.
In June, the GOP-controlled House passed a White House-backed bill that would spend about $320 billion over 10 years to offer seniors a prescription drug benefit.
UPDATE:
The action is now in the Senate where Republicans have attacked a Democratic plan to provide a Medicare prescription drug benefit as too expensive.
The chief Democratic proposal -- offered by Sens. Bob Graham of Florida, Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Zell Miller of Georgia -- would cost an estimated $594 billion through 2010. There would be a monthly premium of $25 and no annual deductible. The plan also calls for a $10 co-payment for generic drugs and a $40 co-payment for brand-name drugs.
The neediest seniors would get a free ride if their income level is below $11,000. Once seniors pay $4,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, Medicare would kick in and pay 100 percent of drug costs.
Most Republicans are rallying around another measure.
Dubbed the "tripartisan" bill, the legislation is authored by Sens. James Jeffords, I-Vermont; Charles Grassley, R-Iowa; and John Breaux, D-Louisiana and others. It has an estimated 10-year cost of $370 billion.
It calls for a monthly premium of less than $35 and an annual deductible of $250.
Seniors would pay up to half of prescription drugs costs up to $2,000 - $2,500.
Once out-of-pocket expenses reached $3,700 for a senior, the plan would pay 90 percent of additional prescription costs.
KEY QUESTIONS:
How will the debate involving a key voting bloc -- senior citizens -- play out in an election year?
Whose philosophy will prevail: the Republican approach that relies more on private insurers to administer a drug prescription plan or the Democrats' support for expanded government programs, primarily Medicare?
WHO'S WHO:
Sens. Bob Graham, Edward Kennedy and Zell Miller: Primary authors of prescription drug plan favored by Democrats
Sens. James Jeffords, Charles Grassley and John Breaux: Chief sponsors of 'tripartisan' legislation supported by many Republicans
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lakjaw
Veteran
Reged: 11/22/02
Posts: 550
Loc: Planet Zartran
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Poor Ted Kennedy - he's been working on trying to get decent medical care for the elderly ever since his first term in office.
I wonder when the powers that be will finally realize that this country is desperately in need of national health care. With more than 40 million people in this country completely without health care/coverage, and more without adequate coverage, added to the elderly/disabled on Medicare who cannot afford office visits or medications, isn't it time *someone* in this "greatest of all nations", which is also supposedly the "richest of all nations", recognized that there are nations much smaller and less well off who are at least taking care of the health of their citizens, and that it just might be a good idea if we followed suit?
Whichever of the partisan legislation finally struggles through, it's still going to be too little, too late. You don't put a band-aid over a gaping chin-to-pelvis wound!
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When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Usually,that individual is crazy.
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LumbarSpasm
Silent Chaos
Reged: 05/07/02
Posts: 1538
Loc: USA
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I agree.
I think at the least, our government ought to allow internet sales worldwide, webwide, without the "gray".
It should be in black and white and legitimate.
Free market pressures would help drive prices down.
JMO
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LumbarSpasm
Or just a pain in the butt?!
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lakjaw
Veteran
Reged: 11/22/02
Posts: 550
Loc: Planet Zartran
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We definitely could do without the bogus restrictions on many medications. The only reason a lot of formerly Rx meds are not over-the-counter is that insurance companies did not want to pay for them. That includes the acid-reducer pills, and the yeast infection products for women. Those were humongous insurance headaches which have been pushed back onto the consumers.
However, with analgesics, they keep a death grip on them because it benefits enough people in the "health care industry" to do so. "Follow the money. . ."
There is also the ridiculous idea that all of us need to be "guarded" like idiot children when it comes to analgesics. The upshot of the equally ridiculous 'war on drugs' is that it's made a lot of foreign and domestic drug kingpins mighty darn wealthy, and left a vast number of legitimately ill people under-treated or untreated. It also destroys patient-doctor relationships because the doctor is concerned foremost with his license (and this, of course, is tied to his wallet), and when he can't or won't provide patients with the help they need, the patients no longer trust or like the doctor. And why should they?
Guess you can tell this is a touchy subject with me, for a lot of reasons. My father sold his private practice back in '73 and worked with the ultra-indigent in the Philippines and southern Africa for the rest of his life (as did my mother) because they could no longer deal with the ever-increasing intrusiveness of the government. I'd love to be able to kick this country to the curb and live in Canada, England or Australia, but it's not real likely that any of those countries would welcome with open arms a person who is disabled and unable to get decent medical care because of the disability which arose due to medical ineptness in the first place! Grrrrrr!
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When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Usually,that individual is crazy.
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