Recently President Bush came out with new numbers for the cost of his Medicare program. When the bill passed he promised to keep spending for the bill under $400 billion over 10 years. His new numbers place the cost at $530 billion-$540 billion for 10 years.
Conservatives, upon this announcement, are claiming big government is just getting bigger. Specifically, the most profitable industries in the world, pharmaceuticals and insurance, stand to benefit because the Medicare program forces people who want a benefit into private insurance programs.
Instead of giving money away to insurance companies, our government needs to control the price of prescription drugs by harnessing the power of the 40 million people on Medicare, and negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies to get the best drugs at the best price. The current program allows pharmaceutical prices to be set by the industry, which will only drive up the costs of the program. The Medicare prescription drug program needs to be included in Medicare, not a for-profit corporation whose goal is making money. The federal government is giving millions to insurance companies to create programs from which they will profit, not seniors and people with disabilities.
As a Medicare recipient, I urge people to call Rep. Jay Inslee or Rep. Rick Larsen and tell them to pass federal legislation to require Medicare to negotiate lower prices with pharmaceutical companies. The only way we can win a truly affordable and comprehensive benefit is to demand that the people’s voices are heard – not just those of the pharmaceutical companies and insurance industry.
Bothell
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