U.S. Senate must allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drugs prices ...Statement from Robert M. Hayes, president of the Medicare Rights Center, a national consumer service organization:

The U.S. Senate has a second chance to do the right thing and choose the interests of 43 million older and disabled Americans with Medicare, as well as taxpayers, over the interests of the global pharmaceutical industry. Every savvy consumer knows that eliminating the middle man and buying in bulk will lower prescription drug costs.  Prescription drugs remain unaffordable for many older and disabled Americans enrolled in Medicare private drug plans. While the drug cartel has spent tens of millions of dollars spreading myths to prevent Medicare from negotiating for lower prescription drug prices, facts trump myths.

In 2003, Congress passed the law that added a drug benefit to Medicare, but prohibited the government from negotiating for lower prices with drug manufacturers. The Medicare drug benefit (Part D) is only available through private insurers, which individually negotiate drug prices for their members. Many in Congress now want to eliminate that prohibition and allow Medicare to use its substantial market power—43 million people with Medicare—to lower drug prices under Part D.

 

In response, the drug manufacturer’s trade association, PhARMA, is spending millions on lobbyists and advertisements to convince Congress and the public that Medicare cannot save more than the private plans and that Medicare negotiating drug prices will limit people’s access to medicines. A study released by the Institute for America’s Future in April 2007 dispels that argument, finding that allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices could save $30 billion a year.

 

To shed further light on PhARMA’s misinformation campaign, three consumer advocate groups, the Medicare Rights Center, Public Citizen and the National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices, joined forces on a joint campaign. “Truth is the Best Medicine” answers the pharmaceutical industry’s mythmaking in opposition to drug price negotiations under Medicare.
 

Myth 1: Requiring Medicare to negotiate drug prices will cut off funding for the research and development (R&D) of new lifesaving drugs.
Myth 2: Part D is working well and there is no need to change it. Myth 3: Formulary management and limitations on drug prices in other countries discourage research into new treatments and restrict access to necessary medicines.
Myth 4: Direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising educates patients and improves their knowledge of available medicines. Myth 5: The newest, most expensive drug is the best one for me. Myth 6: I can rely on my doctors always to prescribe the best drug.
yth 7: Prescription coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is overly restrictive, demonstrating that a drug benefit option under Original Medicare would hinder access to medically necessary drugs.
Myth 8: Pharmaceutical industry research drives innovation in new medicines.
Myth 9: The private sector does a better job than the government in negotiating drug prices.

Get the facts that dispel the myths at http://www.medicarerights.org/Truth_Best_Medicine.pdf
 

The National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices (NLARx) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization of state legislators from across the country who advocate for lowering prescription drug costs and increasing access to affordable medicines (www.nlarx.com).

 

The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) is the largest independent source of health care information and assistance in the United States for people with Medicare. Founded in 1989, MRC helps older adults and people with disabilities get good, affordable health care (www.medicarerights.org).

 

Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts (www.citizen.org).