Posted on 08/25/2006 3:57:19 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats reached a deal Thursday that they say will help uninsured, lower-income Californians get discounts of up to 40 percent on name-brand drugs.
The California Prescription Drug Initiative, announced earlier this week but formally approved Thursday, will give discounts of about 40 percent for name-brand drugs and 60 percent for generics to people who otherwise would have to pay full retail price. The enrollment fee will be $10 a year.
The initiative will require prescription drug companies to offer discounts for medications or face possible sanctions.
The Republican governor said the plan will provide "meaningful prescription drug discounts for the hardworking Californians who pay the most for their lifesaving medications, but can afford it the least."
Drug companies, which oppose the plan, will have until August 2010 to comply voluntarily.
If the companies fail to meet the benchmark discount levels, they face being taken off the preferred drug list used by Medi-Cal, which provides about $4 billion in drugs annually to the poor and elderly.
Democratic Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez called the measure "long overdue."
"No Californian should ever have to choose between buying their prescription medicine or putting food on their table," he said in a statement issued Thursday.
Assembly Republican leader George Plescia criticized the deal, calling it a "heavy-handed approach" that could have a number of harmful consequences, including the loss of medications for Medi-Cal recipients.
In related news, every other state in the Union will now be facing higher prices on prescription drugs.
Quote from Leftism 101 (fill in the blanks): "No __________ should ever have to choose between _________________ or putting food on their table."
The Commie 'RATS always want to know who is going to "pay" for tax cuts. Well, who do you think is going to "pay" for these "discounts." Hint: It won't be the drug companies.
California is retarded.
This should be struck down with some interstate commerce rule. Others are indirectly supposed to subsidies the cost and incentive to develop new drugs. That's what this riule what basically cause. The genius behind such legislation seldom thinks of WHY in the US we develop drugs like AZT, Viagra...... profits! But that's an evil concept to some Californian Democrat.
"Drug companies, which oppose the plan, will have until August 2010 to comply (voluntarily)." was written. Does anyone else see an oxymoron here?
I would stop selling medicine in California. This is insane.
Why stop there? Why not require supermarkets to offer government set discounts on groceries? Require gas stations to offer government set discounts on gasoline? Require real estate agents to offer government set discounts on housing rentals and sales? Require department stores to offer government set discounts on clothing and many other household items? Hey, it's that easy, right?
And the rest of us will pay more in the meantime, or find drug treatments unavailable all together. If all the drug companies stick together and refuse to provide these discounts, then Medi-Cal will have no one they can list as a preferred provider. They need to band together to sink this. Who are Arnold and his socialist buddies in the legislature to dictate the price of anything?? I am leaning more and more towards voting 3rd party for governor come November. Arnold's triangulation is going to lose him his base.
Pot? Crank? Blow? Horse?
LOL! Yep, I figure the headline excited more then one person.
Couple this with the new $8 an hour minimum wage, and I am heading back to CA!
"....And you thought that Socialism was dead...hah!
40% off? Well, ok. But I get about %50 off using Canadian pharmacies, and I don't pay a $10 fee. Californians may turn their nose up at paying more than they have to and being means tested.
There's no such thing as a free lunch and there's no such thing as discount drugs; as Karl Marx could have told them, someone will pay.
Canadian Pharmacy Story
I buy my blood pressure medication in Canada. A 3 month supply costs me $300 with no insurance.
I can buy the same brand name drug through my Blue Shield mail order pharmacy for $700. The reason is because there is a generic version, and the insurance company makes me pay for the cost differential between the generic and brand version. Well, the generic version gives me digestive problems because the inactive ingredients are different from those in the brand name. Bet lots of you folks thought that FDA approved generic drugs were exactly the same as the brand version. Well, they are not.
Fine, so I save $400 every three months. Last week I ordered a refill from Canada. It was a few days late arriving. Guess what? Today, I received a letter from US Customs. They seized my meds. It seems, it is against the law to import drugs from Canada, even if they are made in the US and exported to Canada as mine are.
So, I called the pharmacy. They will resend the drugs at no cost. I get to send back a form to the Customs Service who supposedly will return the drugs to the Canadian pharmacy. According to the pharmacy, Customs is seizing about one out of every 300 shipments. So, the odds are that the next package will get through.
Thank you FDA. Thank you Customs Service. Thank you Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate who are in the back pockets of the major drug companies. Thank you so much for protecting me from myself.
Amen
Does California really think that the drug companies are into charity? The companies will just raise the prices the rest of us have to pay. So the non-working and poor will get a great discount, but the rest of us will pay even more to subsidize them.
Gee whiz, why should a person even try to get a decent job, with all the government handouts available out there? Why kill ourselves trying to earn a decent living when the government wants to take it away and give it to others, who do not have any great incentives to work or better themselves with a decent job, since the government helps them out?
"Republicans agree that expanding access to prescription drugs is an important priority, but we have many serious concerns about this prescription drug plan."By forcing companies to cut drug prices through price controls, which is the practical effect of this measure, we will jeopardize the development of life-saving drugs for all 35 million people in our state, drive up health insurance costs for all insured Californians, and threaten the jobs of thousands of highly skilled workers in this critical industry.
"Using a heavy-handed approach to force drug companies to participate may have the unintended and dangerous consequence of taking away critical medications for vulnerable Californians who depend upon Medi-Cal.
"Also troubling is the proposal's vague language that could extend eligibility for prescription drug discounts to illegal immigrants living in California. This misguided approach disrespects the millions of legal immigrants who have worked hard to achieve the American Dream, and provides a costly incentive for more illegal immigrants to locate here.
"Californians deserve the right to choose the prescription drug plan that is best for them - one that keeps the government bureaucrats out of their medicine cabinet and out of their doctor's office. We believe market-based solutions, like health savings accounts, are the best approach to ensure that families have access to affordable prescription drugs."
While Plescia gets some of it right, his comments supporting more socialized programs are gaggers.
George, using "heavy-handed approach to force drug companies to participate" is just flat out wrong.
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