Oregon's Senators of the 110th Congress and Medicare

It pisses me off that the bill that would allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals for seniors and the alter-abled did not pass. If anyone has to be fiscally responsible it is folks living on fixed incomes. The Senate did a big disservice to seniors, a large voting bloc in elections. According to a New York Times article and an article in The Oregonian Oregon's Senators Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden voted for the bill.

Only six Republicans, including Oregon's Gordon Smith, voted to bring the bill to a vote. Oregonian

Senator Ron Wyden explains the importance of negotiationg for drugs that do not have cheaper generics available...

Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said he did not want the government to supplant private plans. But, Mr. Wyden said, Medicare could negotiate better bargains on selected drugs that have no therapeutic equivalents or competition. NYT

Great point. Thank you Oregon Senators for trying to help folks on Medicare make ends meet. Here is some comparisons of some well known drugs as paid by the Veteran's Administration vs. Medicare:

Plavix (75 mg., an anti-clotting agent): lowest VA price is $887.16; lowest Medicare plan price is $1,229.64 - a difference of $342.48, or 38.6 percent.

Lipitor (10 mg., cholesterol lowering agent): lowest VA price is $497.16; lowest Medicare plan price is $717.84 - a difference of $220.68, or 44.4 percent.

Fosamax (70 mg., osteoporosis treatment): lowest VA price is $493.32; lowest Medicare plan price is $709.68 - a difference of $216.36, or 43.9 percent.

Norvasc (5 mg., calcium channel blocker): lowest VA price is $301.68; lowest Medicare plan price is $458.88 - a difference of $157.20, or 52.1 percent.

Protonix (40 mg., gastrointestinal agent): lowest VA price is $253.32; lowest Medicare plan price is $1,080 - a difference of $826.68, or 326.3 percent.

Celebrex (200 mg., anti-inflammatory agent): lowest VA price is $619.80; lowest Medicare plan price is $865.08 - a difference of $245.28, or 39.6 percent.

Zocor (20 mg., cholesterol lowering agent): lowest VA price is $167.80; lowest Medicare plan price is $1,323.72 - a difference of $1,155.92, or 688.9 percent. Senior Journal.com

This is nothing but a rip-off of consumers.