Robert Neeld
Democrat for Congress
The Issues
The AARP has the right approach on this key issue
and I fully support it. The pharmaceutical industry spent $27
million lobbying Congress in the first half of 2003 in its successful
effort to block the federal government from negotiating directly
with manufacturers to keep the price of prescription drugs down.
The GOP-led Congress enacted the ban even though the federal
government already negotiates lower prices for medicines for veterans
and military retirees, and as it did most recently to get huge
discounts for three million doses of flu vaccine.
I will join with my Democratic colleagues in sponsoring legislation
to repeal this prohibition on the government negotiating lower
prescription drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. I’ll
also make it legal for Americans to buy prescription drugs from
licensed pharmacies in Canada and vote for FDA funds -- and authority
-- to insure that imported drugs are safe.
I will also require that Pharmacy benefit Managers (PBMs) disclose
to the government the rebates they receive from manufacturers,
to ensure that PBMs are passing along prescription drug discounts
to Medicare beneficiaries.
I will also support legislation that reforms direct-to-consumer
drug advertising and also require drug makers to disclose any
gifts made to health care providers.
And to hold manufacturers accountable, especially during the
implementation of the new Medicare Drug Benefit Law, I go further.
I’ll propose an excessive profits tax on any manufacturer
which fails to comply fully and completely with all provisions
of the law.
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