When my wife had a prescription of Levaquin filled and the cost for seven 500 mg. pills was $90.42, I just couldn't believe it. I went to Canada Drugs and found their cost for the same medication was $43.04. My wife needed the medication immediately and there wasn't time to wait for a Canada Drugs mail order and since she's in the Medicare Part D Doughnut hole, she had to pay the full price. Thanks Big PHARMA.
Big PHARMA has made, what I consider a, phony self serving, effort to get in the Health Care Reform debate:
CBS News The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has agreed to reduce its draw of revenues by $80 billion over 10 years by discounting the cost of medicines in Medicare’s Part D prescription drug program for some seniors by as much as 50 percent. The discount would go to seniors who fall into the "doughnut hole" -- a gap in Medicare Part D coverage. Currently, once seniors have received $2,700 worth of drugs, they are left to pay the full cost of their medication until that cost reaches $6,100. "This gap in coverage has been placing a crushing burden on many older Americans," Mr. Obama said. The agreement, he said, will make health care "more affordable for millions of seniors and restore a measure of fairness to Medicare Part D."
Really!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senior Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking a government investigation into recent price increases of brand-name prescription drugs, as Congress finalizes health reform overhaul. Drugmakers "may be artificially raising prices for certain pharmaceutical products in expectation of new reforms," wrote Charles Rangel and Henry Waxman, the respective chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "Any price gouging is unacceptable, but anticipatory price gouging is especially offensive," the letter said.
Who do these folks think they're fooling? The cost of medications through Medicare Part D have been and continue to be over inflated. If seniors could get their medications at the prices charged in Canada (see graphic below) many of them would never fall in the infamous "doughnut hole" and while we're on the subject of "doughnut holes". Why is a "doughnut hole" necessary? I suggest real reform would eliminate the "doughnut hole" entirely. Just more smoke and mirrors as far as I'm concerned, thanks to Big PHARMA and Congress. When my wife's Medicare Part D coverage gets close to the infamous "doughnut hole" I get her medications in Canada and as you can see in the graphic below, in Canada you can get 90 generic Singulair 10mg tablets for $155.79 or $1.73 a pill, while my Medicare Part D provider charges $305.11 or $3.39 a pill. Where is the free market when you need it? Does Big PHARMA and Congress think we're think we're taking stupid pills?
NJ.com They must think we’re all taking stupid pills. At the same time pharmaceutical makers are promising to cut billions a year from the nation’s drug costs as part of health reform, the industry has been raising drug prices 9 percent over the past year, analysts discovered. Common sense says the two are related. After all, it will be easier for them to whittle prices down by $8 billion annually after these increases add an estimated $10 billion to the nation’s yearly drug bill.
Willie Sutton was a bank robber and when asked why he robbed banks, Sutton simply replied, "Because that's where the money is." Well, Willie, that ain't where the money is now. The money is in the pockets of American citizens and Big PHARMA, with the help of Congress, is picking those pockets clean.
