Capitalism Evil, Say Republicans

by Devilstower - Thu Jan 11, 2007 at 05:44:29 PM EST

Of all the items in the first hundred hours, none seems more sensible than that the government should negotiate lower Medicare drug prices from pharmaceutical suppliers. After all, the government uses competitive bidding for other areas (well, those not related to handing a big check to Cheney's former company, at least).

Private insurers negotiate with the drugs companies. The Veteran's Administration negotiates with the drug companies. It's hard to think that anyone would disagree with trying to get the best possible price.

After all, what who would be stupid enough to just pay whatever the drug companies asked? What kind of moron would think it a good idea for the government to pay more than the going rate, causing higher costs and ensuring that programs were able to return less value? This kind of moron.

President Bush promised on Thursday to veto Democratic-drafted legislation requiring the government to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices under Medicare.

Bush and Republicans in the pocket of Big Pharma Senate maintain that seniors are happy with the prescription drug program. And if people are happy, well heck, why should the government try to save any money? Right seniors?

A survey of seniors for the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that about 81% of seniors want to let the government use its buying power to negotiate drug prices, including 67% who said they strongly favor such negotiations. Democrats say that another survey showed that requiring government negotiations polled more favorably than any other issue that Democrats included for their first 100 hours of the new Congress.

The idea that the government should just pay drug companies whatever they ask is such nonsense that even Republicans should be embarrassed to find themselves associated with the idea. But then, the last decade has shown that it takes a whole lot to embarrass a Republican.

Let Bush warm up the veto pen. By opposing negotiation the Republicans are putting themselves in the position of insisting that drug companies, despite raising prices many times faster than inflation, require huge artificial price supports paid for out of the pockets of American seniors. Bush and the Sentate Republicans will set themselves against senior citizens, against saving money, and against common sense with one "X" from the decider's pen.

Mr. Gallup, does the scale allow for negative popularity? LOL

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