Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), voted yesterday to voluntarily trim prices on medications sold to seniors, the disabled and others enrolled in government health programs. The agreement was officially announced today. It was not clear how much of the savings would accrue to the government side of the ledger and how much would represent lower out-of-pocket payments for consumers.
"The agreement reached today to lower prescription drug costs for seniors will be an important part of the legislation I expect to sign into law in December," Obama said in a statement this afternoon. "This is a tangible example of the type of reform that will lower costs while assuring quality health care for every American."
Though many of the details remain unresolved, Democratic leaders hope the accord will provide a jolt of energy to the difficult task of writing and enacting legislation that would have an impact on more than one-sixth of the economy and affect virtually every American in direct, personal ways.
Industry officials said today that the offer is contingent upon -- and intended to be part of -- broad changes in the health-care system. PhRMA has advocated legislation that requires every American to have health insurance, a change that would surely produce tens of millions of new customers for the industry.
Recent reports by the Congressional Budget Office have estimated that it could cost as much as $1.6 trillion to extend health coverage to the nation's 46 million uninsured and to implement other changes intended to modernize the health-care system. No one from the White House, the industry or the Senate Finance Committee could say today exactly how much of the $80 billion offer would be directed toward that expense.
"There are going to be significant scoreable savings for the federal government," said Ken Johnson, a spokesman for PhRMA.
If health-care reform legislation is enacted, the agreement would bring financial relief to about 3.4 million elderly and disabled Americans who currently fall into a coverage gap known as the "doughnut hole": Medicare recipients must now pay the full price of brand-name medications after they have incurred a total of $2,700 in drug expenses, until reaching an outer spending limit of $6,100.
Under the proposal, U.S. drug companies would provide half-price discounts to Medicare recipients in the "doughnut hole" and provide other unspecified discounts and rebates for a total of $80 billion in savings. In 2008, U.S. pharmaceutical sales exceeded $291 billion, though the industry has seen growth slow in recent years as more patients turn to cheaper generic alternatives.
"This new coverage means affordable prices on prescription drugs when Medicare benefits don't cover the cost of prescriptions," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), who made the formal announcement of the agreement today.
Sources close to the talks between the industry, the administration and Senate officials said the final agreement is likely to include adjustments to the rebates drugmakers give for medications purchased through the Medicaid program or those for seniors enrolled in Medicare managed-care plans.
The move by drug manufacturers may have been intended to forestall more severe cuts. In his radio and Internet address last week, Obama called for extracting $75 billion in savings, though industry sources said at the time that the White House initially set a target of $100 billion.
No comments:
Post a Comment