Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jim Leddy, of South Burlington, who is a former Democratic Chittenden County state senator, former chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee; former president of AARP Vermont; former chair of the national AARP’s Health and Long Term Care Committee; and a 10-year recipient of Medicare benefits.
In a recent VTDigger story by Elizabeth Hewitt, she writes that Rep. Peter Welch, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., have called upon President Donald Trump to join them in supporting legislation allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for older Americans, as the VA and Medicaid have long done.
While they’re waiting for a presidential reply, here’s a little more information to consider. First, there’s more than enough shared blame for the 2003 law prohibiting Medicare from negotiating “best prices” when prescription drugs became a covered benefit. Advocacy organizations, including AARP, held their noses and supported the legislation, believing it was the best, and perhaps only, chance to add a critically important benefit to Medicare. Imagine having a health insurance plan with no prescription drug coverage. Imagine being 65 or older and having no drug benefit.
With strong support from then-President George W. Bush, the legislation was written largely by the drug industry and passed in the dark (literally at 3 a.m.) under the leadership of Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La. The law also prohibits the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada and elsewhere. Congressman Tauzin felt so good about his success that he took a victory lap, leaving Congress a year later to become head of PHARMA, the drug industry’s lobbying arm, at a salary estimated at $2 million per year. But who’s counting?
There’s more. Not a penny was appropriated to pay for this new benefit, now covering 55 million Americans and estimated to increase to 79 million by 2030. Along with two unfunded and never-ending wars, this drug benefit is the third largest contributor to the growing national deficit, providing an unneeded subsidy to the richest industry in America. But again, who’s counting?
President Trump has nothing to do with this history. But he did pledge and promise to fix this legalized scam by enacting legislation to negotiate best prices for Medicare. If the VA and Medicaid can do it, so too can Medicare — for the benefit of 55 million Medicare recipients and all taxpayers.
Who’s counting? We all are.
