Keeping an Eye on Technology Futures, No Hidden Agendas, New Attitudes, No Platitudes!
The TV ad shows a big bus driving around America, helping poor people generate big savings on their prescription drugs. One poor old lady exclaims, "I lost my job, and PPA helped me save money!" A man hugs his wife and smiles, "With my wife and PPA, I'm in good shape". Another tight-lipped lady says, "PPA saves me $1,300 a month". Wow, one wonders how much she spends on medications, to actually save that much a month.....
The deception is this: The 2003 Medicare Drug Bill allowed drug companies to charge more by preventing Medicare from negotiating prices. The VA (Veterans Admin.) does bargain successfully, but Medicare cannot - prohibited by Law. Estimates show VA prices for the same drugs are 50-60% lower. This helped big-pharma to gain $531 BILLION (repeat, more than a half-TRILLION) over a 10-year period. So, they charge 50% more, and help poor people to save 30%. Whaddya think of that trick?
There was a brief flurry of outrage when Congress passed that Medicare bill with late-into-the-night arm-twisting by lobbyists. Later, the media reported on another scandal: the administration had deceived Congress about the bill's likely cost. But the real scandal is what's in the legislation. It's an object lesson in how special interests hold America's health care system hostage.
This is the stranglehold of an industry that is not held to truth in advertising laws, that baldly lies about the efficacy of its products and conceals lethal effects. This rises to the level of criminal conduct.
The public is not aware that many of the drugs that are lavishly advertised to the public are likely to be harmful. Drug manufacturers don't spend money advertising effective drugs, such as antibiotics - they don't need to. The more lavishly a drug is advertised, the more suspicious one should be about its value and adverse effects.
Pharmaceutical companies are caught repeatedly using corrupt marketing practices. But they continue to do so with impunity because they are able to pay their way out of criminal indictments. And fines, even in the millions, are no deterrent whatever for these multi-billion companies - they are just added to the "cost of doing business".
Who will stop this fraud? The Presidential candidates mention this. It remains to be see what they do about big-Pharma corruption.
Pharma Lobbyists - Blatant Corruption
Bush's prescription-drug plan elates lobbyists, bewilders seniors
A Serious Drug Problem - The Medicare Prescription Bill of 2003
