Public Citizen
Press Release
June 23, 2003
Drug Industry Employs 675 Washington Lobbyists, Many with Revolving-Door Connections, New Report Finds
Profits registered by the 10 drug companies on the list (Fortune 500) were equal to more than half the $69.6 billion in profits netted by the entire roster of Fortune 500 companies – when all losses are subtracted from all gains.
“The drug industry contends that it needs high prices to finance the discovery of new, innovative drugs,” Clemente said (Frank Clemente, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch). “But a closer look shows that drug-makers make far more money in profits than they spend on research and development.”
http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1469
Comment: Most of the Republicans in the House and Senate are making every effort to be certain that the traditional Medicare program will not be allowed to provide coverage for prescription drugs (except for a fallback provision in the Senate for rural regions without willing plans, though the House leadership has stated that even this is unacceptable). Coverage would be provided exclusively by private insurance plans, whether as an isolated drug plan or as part of an HMO or PPO.
The Republicans contend that including prescription coverage in the traditional Medicare program would lead to price controls of drugs. But other Medicare providers, including physicians, hospitals, laboratories, and home health agencies already have their fees and prices controlled by Medicare. Why should prescription drugs be the exception?
The explosion in physician fees and hospital charges after the introduction of Medicare led to the switch from usual, customary and reasonable fees to the enactment of mechanisms to control Medicare costs. In recent years we have seen an explosion in drug costs, with truly outrageous profits.
The Republicans are correct. Including drugs in the traditional Medicare program would result in negotiated prices – but fair prices. Isn’t it now time to modernize Medicare by including prescription drugs and making them affordable?