House passes drug pricing bill, Senate unlikely to support

As a parent that pays $$$$$ for my kids mental health meds with insurance, I would really like to see some kind of sanity when it comes to drug pricing; I am not sure why anyone would be against negotiating, unless they are getting paid by big pharma;

"By a 230-192 margin, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation, championed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aimed at corralling spiraling drug costs.

The bill’s key provision would allow the feds to negotiate prices for expensive drugs that lack competition. A minimum of 50 medicines each year would be subject to talks.

A last-minute addition was a feasibility study to extend rebates for drug prices that increase faster than inflation to employer-sponsored coverage.

The bill has almost no chance to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, however."

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3526005-house-passes-drug-pricing-bill-senate-unlikely-to-support

Senate unlikely to consider would be more accurate.

Here’s Windy’s bill.

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Extend patents for drugs

Reduce prices for drugs.

Make this all zero sum

Next issue for me to solve?

Why price controls on medicine? There are lots of things that people think are too highly priced.

Too much lobbying at Big Pharma to allow this.

I thought the gov’t was prohibited by law to negotiate directly with drug companies?

Need to make generics avail and let the market sort itself out.

Why price controls on medicine? There are lots of things that people think are too highly priced.

Negotiating prices is not price control.

Here’s Windy’s bill.

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Extend patents for drugs

Reduce prices for drugs.

Make this all zero sum

Next issue for me to solve?

I’d vote for that. Come be leader of our colony?

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

First amendment. Banning speech that broadly is going to be an issue. It’s not like banning tobacco ads, which prevents a direct harm.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Same sort of constitutional issue.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Also going to ban lawsuits if a hastily produced drug starts killing people?

Extend patents for drugs

That’s going to suppress generics, which bring down drug costs.

Reduce prices for drugs.

What does that mean? Government is going to directly seize pricing control altogether?

Here’s Windy’s bill.

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Extend patents for drugs

Reduce prices for drugs.

Make this all zero sum

Next issue for me to solve?

I’d vote for that. Come be leader of our colony?

Canadian drug prices are already much cheaper than the US. The US needs to hire Canada as its drug dealer.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

*Also going to ban lawsuits if a hastily produced drug starts killing people? *

Not to mention all the drug trials lately that at first show promise and then larger clinical trials show no improvement for the newer, more expensive drug that with less scrutiny, might have been approved.
That said, the approval process should be reviewed.

. The US needs to hire Canada as its drug dealer.

You might mean that as a joke, but that’s an active area of debate. Canada doesn’t seem keen on it.

It’s insane, though. The U.S. government banned itself from negotiating prices, so it’s talking about creating legislation to lean over to Canada and asking, “Hey, if you’re buying, can you pick me up a two-fer?”

That’s how crazy powerful the U.S. drug lobby is.

Why price controls on medicine? There are lots of things that people think are too highly priced.

You are right. Let’s not give people with mental health issues their meds because they can’t afford them, then watch the hilarity ensue. No repercussions to worry about…Same with HIV and Cancer patients. Just die if you can’t afford your meds. Seems reasonable eh?

"1 in 5 Adults have a mental health condition. That’s over 40 million Americans; more than the populations of New York and Florida combined."

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america-2018

Here’s Windy’s bill.

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Extend patents for drugs

Reduce prices for drugs.

Make this all zero sum

Next issue for me to solve?

I’d vote for that. Come be leader of our colony?

If the Queen will have me

Here’s Windy’s bill.

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Extend patents for drugs

Reduce prices for drugs.

Make this all zero sum

Next issue for me to solve?

I’d vote for that. Come be leader of our colony?

Canadian drug prices are already much cheaper than the US. The US needs to hire Canada as its drug dealer.

Yup. Border cities are running out of insulin supplies as Americans flood in to buy it. Now our prices are going up.

Time to build that Wall.

Here’s Windy’s bill.

Ban advertising for prescription drugs.

Ban sales people for prescription drugs.

Reduce the bureaucracy and hoops to bring drugs to market.

Extend patents for drugs

Reduce prices for drugs.

Make this all zero sum

Next issue for me to solve?

I’d vote for that. Come be leader of our colony?

If the Queen will have me

Windy for Queen’s Hand- er, Prime Minister

The funny thing about this is that your leader is the one getting rid of subordinates left right and centre who don’t bend the knee and kiss the ring.

Why price controls on medicine? There are lots of things that people think are too highly priced.

You are right. Let’s not give people with mental health issues their meds because they can’t afford them, then watch the hilarity ensue. No repercussions to worry about…Same with HIV and Cancer patients. Just die if you can’t afford your meds. Seems reasonable eh?

"1 in 5 Adults have a mental health condition. That’s over 40 million Americans; more than the populations of New York and Florida combined."

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america-2018

I thought Obamacare took care of this. (pink) don’t we all have to have insurance now? And just because medicine is expense, does that doesn’t mean the govt has the right to negotiate a price? If the govt thinks something is worthwhile and too expensive they could provide it at a reduced cost, i.e. subsidizing it. For example I believe the subsidize dialysis.

Why price controls on medicine? There are lots of things that people think are too highly priced.

You are right. Let’s not give people with mental health issues their meds because they can’t afford them, then watch the hilarity ensue. No repercussions to worry about…Same with HIV and Cancer patients. Just die if you can’t afford your meds. Seems reasonable eh?

"1 in 5 Adults have a mental health condition. That’s over 40 million Americans; more than the populations of New York and Florida combined."

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america-2018

I thought Obamacare took care of this. (pink) don’t we all have to have insurance now? And just because medicine is expense, does that doesn’t mean the govt has the right to negotiate a price? If the govt thinks something is worthwhile and too expensive they could provide it at a reduced cost, i.e. subsidizing it. For example I believe the subsidize dialysis.

Trump has rolled back much of the Affordable Care Act, but perhaps you were not aware (pink)?

"Republican efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s insurance reforms continued Tuesday, when the Trump administration proposed regulations that would make it easier for health insurers to sell cheap, short-term policies that leave out key benefits and are available only to people in good health.

Announcement of the proposal, which has been in the works for several months, came two months after President Donald Trump signed Republican legislation eliminating the individual mandate, which makes people pay a financial penalty if they don’t have insurance."

Do you realize that utilities are regulated by the Govt? And that the Govt. regulates multiple industries all the time? That price you pay for electricity is because of direct Govt. intervention. Ever hear of Tariffs?

From safety issues to prices, the Govt. has been directly involved for decades. Why shouldn’t the Govt. negotiate with big pharma? Big Pharma is already regulated by the FDA. There is no upside to people not being able to get their meds. If subsidies are the answer great, move forward. But Trump nor the GOP offered that option did they?

We can’t leave people to fend for themselves. Because they are unable too. Self-medication is no substitute for proper treatment. I don’t believe Trump gives a hoot about the mentally ill. Because if he did we would be celebrating the passage of the above bill, not wondering why the GOP won’t agree to talk about lower prices. Not free meds, lower prices. Christ, even India gets cheaper meds than the US;

"Researchers from Britain’s University of Liverpool also found U.S. prices were consistently higher than in other European markets. Elsewhere, U.S. prices were six times higher than in Brazil and 16 times higher than the average in the lowest-price country, which was usually India.

The United States, which leaves pricing to market competition, has higher drug prices than other countries where governments directly or indirectly control medicine costs.

That makes it by far the most profitable market for pharmaceutical companies, leading to complaints that Americans are effectively subsidizing health systems elsewhere."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-u-s-pays-3-times-more-for-drugs/

Woah, woah, woah. Slow yourself down a little here. You’re talking like it’s wrong for the system to be set up so people are desperate enough to resort to the cost savings of using veterinary medicine for personal use.

Why price controls on medicine? There are lots of things that people think are too highly priced.

You are right. Let’s not give people with mental health issues their meds because they can’t afford them, then watch the hilarity ensue. No repercussions to worry about…Same with HIV and Cancer patients. Just die if you can’t afford your meds. Seems reasonable eh?

"1 in 5 Adults have a mental health condition. That’s over 40 million Americans; more than the populations of New York and Florida combined."

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america-2018

I thought Obamacare took care of this. (pink) don’t we all have to have insurance now? And just because medicine is expense, does that doesn’t mean the govt has the right to negotiate a price? If the govt thinks something is worthwhile and too expensive they could provide it at a reduced cost, i.e. subsidizing it. For example I believe the subsidize dialysis.

Trump has rolled back much of the Affordable Care Act, but perhaps you were not aware (pink)?

"Republican efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s insurance reforms continued Tuesday, when the Trump administration proposed regulations that would make it easier for health insurers to sell cheap, short-term policies that leave out key benefits and are available only to people in good health.

Announcement of the proposal, which has been in the works for several months, came two months after President Donald Trump signed Republican legislation eliminating the individual mandate, which makes people pay a financial penalty if they don’t have insurance."

Do you realize that utilities are regulated by the Govt? And that the Govt. regulates multiple industries all the time? That price you pay for electricity is because of direct Govt. intervention. Ever hear of Tariffs?

From safety issues to prices, the Govt. has been directly involved for decades. Why shouldn’t the Govt. negotiate with big pharma? Big Pharma is already regulated by the FDA. There is no upside to people not being able to get their meds. If subsidies are the answer great, move forward. But Trump nor the GOP offered that option did they?

We can’t leave people to fend for themselves. Because they are unable too. Self-medication is no substitute for proper treatment. I don’t believe Trump gives a hoot about the mentally ill. Because if he did we would be celebrating the passage of the above bill, not wondering why the GOP won’t agree to talk about lower prices. Not free meds, lower prices. Christ, even India gets cheaper meds than the US;

"Researchers from Britain’s University of Liverpool also found U.S. prices were consistently higher than in other European markets. Elsewhere, U.S. prices were six times higher than in Brazil and 16 times higher than the average in the lowest-price country, which was usually India.

The United States, which leaves pricing to market competition, has higher drug prices than other countries where governments directly or indirectly control medicine costs.

That makes it by far the most profitable market for pharmaceutical companies, leading to complaints that Americans are effectively subsidizing health systems elsewhere."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-u-s-pays-3-times-more-for-drugs/

"Republican efforts to roll back the Affordable Care Act’s insurance reforms continued Tuesday, when the Trump administration proposed regulations that would make it easier for health insurers to sell cheap, short-term policies that leave out key benefits and are available only to people in good health.

Announcement of the proposal, which has been in the works for several months, came two months after President Donald Trump signed Republican legislation eliminating the individual mandate, which makes people pay a financial penalty if they don’t have insurance."

On the first one; I've worked with several people who said that's exactly what they wanted to buy for their healthy kid in college; basically a catastrophic policy.  (and I think some amount of that, shorter term stuff, was already allowed in the ACA).  The second part was a chafing point from the beginning, as the govt is compelling you as an individual to buy something, and the just does not fly with many people.  So, there's pluses and minuses, but I don't have a lot of heartache with those two moves.