Cost of Medicare drugs....

The very fact that Bush would veto the Medicare bill if it passes Congress is reason enough to pass it and let the people know what he thinks about them! Bush has yet to do anything for the American people since his allegiance is to big business and fundamentalist neocons.

NEWS BREAK!: The bill just passed the House on a vote of 255-170, with 24 Republicans joining the Democratic majority in support of it. 60% - not enough to over-ride veto, but certainly enough to make Bush wonder whether a veto is a wise political move!

Following is a Kaiser foundation URL which goes into the matter in greater depth regarding whether the bill would save the government money or not. http://tinyurl.com/yctoms

My own position is that we eventually will have a single payer medical system if for no other reason that big business simply can't support the nation's health care and remain competitive with foreign multinationals who don't. This coupled with the gross inefficiency of one third of our medical care is performed in emergency rooms rather than preventive treatment by general practitioners and nurses who are much less expensive.

Thus oversight of the laisse a faire pharmaceutical companies is a must for the health of the American economy.

For example: "The value of biological drugs indicated for autoimmune diseases, which affect up to 5% (1 in 20) of the total world population, was roughly $11 billion in 2005. Remicade, Enbrel, Humira and Avonex currently lead the autoimmune field." It is interesting to note that the entire population of the U.S. is 5% of the world's population, or 300,000,000.

I give myself one 50 ml shot per week of Enbrel for my psoriatic arthritis to prevent my immune system from destroying my joints. About nine months ago when I started the program, the price was $220 per syringe, ($11,440/year). Since then the price has gone up to $325 per weekly self-administered shot, ($16,900/year). http://tinyurl.com/y6dn27

If I had to pay for the drug myself it would consume my entire Social Security income. Fortunately my company, who self-insures, pays for it. Of course, most of the company's income comes from the U.S. Government or more accurately, the taxpayers. Just part of the cost of doing business.

Unfortunately, most patients, including my son, who has the same genetic problem I have but works for a different company. doesn't have that luxury and can't afford the drug. Instead he takes Methotrexate. http://tinyurl.com/y9lcjm which is vastly less expensive and also much less effective in preventing permanent joint damage. When he takes early retirement in a couple of years he'll be on his own since he will be too young for Medicare.

So, considering that other nations, notably Canada, are known to negotiate quite successfully with the drug companies (which are all multinationals) I fail to see how the CBO or any other political body can say we can't save money on drug costs.

Bush would veto Medicare bill: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Friday threatened a veto of a bill that would overhaul the Medicare prescription drug law to require the government to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies.

"If this bill is presented to the president, he will veto," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters.

The Medicare bill is a key priority of the new Democratic Congress. Snow spoke as the U.S. House of Representatives was expected to vote later in the day on the legislation.

Democrats contend that instructing the government to negotiate prices would save money both for the government and for older Americans covered by the Medicare program.

But the White House and many Republicans in Congress say it would limit the availability of drugs while achieving no cost savings. Snow cited a Congressional Budget Office study that said the negotiations would not save money.