Drug Industry Threatening to End Support for Obama's Health Bill (Obama throws them under the bus)

Fox News ^ | 1/16/2010 | AP

[tobyhill]

The drug industry is threatening to end its support for President Barack Obama's health overhaul effort because of a rift with the administration over protecting brand-name biotech drugs from low-cost generic competitors.

In an e-mail obtained Friday by The Associated Press, the president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America told the trade group's board members that "we could not support the bill" if the industry is given less than 12 years of competitive protection for the expensive products.

Obama and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., are leading the drive to shorten that period, which proponents argue would be a boon to consumers.

"Please activate immediately all of your contacts," said the e-mail from Billy Tauzin, the group's president.

The pharmaceutical industry has been a crucial supporter of Obama's health effort, having spent many tens of millions of dollars on advertising and lobbying in support. Drug companies should profit from the millions of additional people who would be able to afford health coverage under the legislation.

[personalaccts]

I work for a company that isn’t associated with PHARMA and can say they’ll get what they deserve. It’s like screwing a hook and getting and STD. They’re getting the STD.

[Girlene]

I don’t think obama will EVER give up on the health care “reform” bill. He’ll keep making “deals” until there are no takers or until his peeps convince him those deals will cause him/them to lose power (and I seriously doubt anyone could convince him of that at this point). Hopefully, the American people will figure this out and take that power away from him with their choices on Tuesday and in November.

[McGavin999]

The pharmaceutical industry has been a crucial supporter of Obama's health effort, having spent many tens of millions of dollars on advertising and lobbying in support. Drug companies should profit from the millions of additional people who would be able to afford health coverage under the legislation.

Somebody want to go post this over at KOS and HuffPo?

Sleezebags.

[CarWashMan]

They’ll cave eventually.

I have a friend who is liberal and works for a drug company(explain that to me). I wonder if he will lose his job because if PHARMA thinks “healthcare reform” is going to be a money maker they are seriously delusional.

[Will88]

After years of protecting drug company profits from the Dims, and years of protecting the insurance companies from being required to offer more portability in their plans, I hope all Republicans have learned that big corporations are not political conservatives. They are strictly out for themselves and will switch sides in the political competition without a second thought. They will always check to see which side the bread is buttered on.

[TimSkalaBim]

The pharma industry’s goal is probably to just survive the Obama/Pelosi/Reid administration.

[GailA]

aarp is still supporting him.....I keep getting their insurance crap weekly, I keep sending back take me off your list notes and you are destroying my Medicare/Tricare messages. Can't get off their list, they smell money in the water.

Try thinking beyond 2011 for a COLA raise. Link to NO COLAS for several years

It's not just the seniors on SS, it's retired Military, Veterans on disability and those on SS disability also.

We know there is an 8% cut to Medicare with an increase in premiums, there is also a NEW Fee to Tricare the retired Military's health plan. There are also cuts to the VA in obamadeathcare. And as we know the famed Mayo Clinic in AZ is no longer accepting Medicare patients, those on Medicare are having a very hard time finding a doctor to accept them. Tricare which is administered from the same agency, their members are next on the list to be shunned by the medical community.

obamadeathcare paid for by cuts and taxes on the most vulnerable, Veterans, retired Military, the disabled and senior citizens, so he can give illegals free health care.

Pick up the article send it to as many senior citizens as you know. Print it out along with the Washington Compost article and pass it around. Seniors have not been informed of the cuts. I watch our evening news in Memphis and have not seen word one about it.

Demand your GOP elected congress critters grow a backbone and talk about the cuts/taxes on seniors in obamadeathcare. We gray hairs are the voting block most likely to vote each election cycle. I called Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and made those demands. No use calling my commie House member, he's an 0 butt kisser deluxe.

[Agamemnon]

It amazes me to see how few on this thread understand how the "Chicago shakedown" works.

Take it back a couple of generations to a simpler time when Capone was around. The mom and pop shop keeper had to pay protection money to keep the thugs away from his business. They paid and paid for years. Get behind in a payment and you could be "whacked," your business torched, and your suppliers cut off.

With PhRMA or insurance it is the same thing only writ large and on a national, not neighborhood scale. These were industries looking at the potential of being nationalized by a guy with an incoming approval rating of >75% and the most hostile congress to free market business in recent memory.

US Chamber of Commerce was on board with Obama to begin with as it tried to look out for its members to reduce the level of damage they were almost certain to sustain under this regime. They saw how credible the Obama people were in the bargaining, realized how fleeced they were getting and boldly chose to flip the bird to Obama, and they took a hike.

Then the insurance companies peeled off from Obama when their fortunes were being thrown under the bus. Now PhRMA is perceiving Obama's hand (read: ability to to them harm) is losing power fast and they are becoming more emboldened and willing to stand up to the "bully on the block."

A lot of people have an ax to grind with the pharmaceutical industry, just as others might with any industry. Some think using the Canadian tax supported socialistic healthcare system to re-import pharmaceutical products is the way to "stick it" to the pharmceutical industry. All that means is less will get exported to countries that do this. It's just another statist's solution to a market condition. It's not a conservative's position.

Some think pharmaceuticals that take billions of dollars to research to develop should enjoy no patent protections or fruits of the risks and labors of thousands of people that make life-saving medicines happen. Take away the financial incentive to develop these medicines and expect fewer such medicines to be developed. It's really that simple. I doubt that is what most people would ultimately want.

I suspect that most of the posters here have never been in the position of mom and pop store owner, but many will place themselves in the position to judge them for the level of resistance they put up, or criticize them for giving up "too soon." They'll criticize when the victims of the bully got one arm broken and didn't hold out until every appendage was mangled -- or until they were just simply "offed." I'd say few of these arm-chair commentators are really in the position to judge.

FReegards!

[Vaduz]

The pharmaceutical industry trusted Obama and found out what happens by doing so.

[Diogenesis]

We like the pharmaceutical industry.

Why is it funding bad things?

AG Martha Coakley (D) oversees Michael Meehan’s attack
[her goon, Obama’s appointee and SEIU’s and PhRMA’s rep]
on an unarmed, innocent, unsuspecting reporter.

[Agamemnon]

I just love it when idiots like you post to threads without reading the headline -- never mind taking any time to read the article!

How was your most recent visit to the witch doctor by the way? Still buying and driving that union thug made car, and still pumping that terrorist-funding gasoling too, hypocrite?

FReegards!

[Diogenesis]

Listen, FRiend, your personal attacks are undeserved.
It is wrong that your clients (PhRMA) support violence
and voter fraud and fund it.

Worse that you support it, too.

[Agamemnon]

Listen, FRiend, your personal attacks are undeserved.

Unless your only form of transportation is a horse, and you communicate only using soup cans and string you are a hypocrite and you're busted.

It is wrong that your clients (PhRMA) support violence and voter fraud and fund it. Worse that you support it, too.

It's wrong that you buy from baby killers and terrorists. Look yourself in the mirror and condemn everything you see when you do.

Hypocrite.