For years the pharmaceutical industry has financed Republicans shamelessly. Now that Democrats(?) control Congress, drug companies are spreading the money around. From the WaPo:
The pharmaceutical industry, long an ally of Republicans, has increasingly worked itself into the good graces of the Democratic Party and by doing so has helped block the Democrats' top prescription-drug initiatives.
In the year since they took over on Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders have been unable to pass either a bill allowing reimportation of drugs from Canada or a measure requiring negotiation of drug prices under Medicare. Neither is likely to reach the president's desk this year. Lawmakers on both sides of these issues say the primary reason is the influence, now redirected, of the drug lobby.
This is politics as usual in Washington, but a few observations are worth making:
1. Pelosi promised a reform to Medicare Part D, giving CMS the power to negotiate drug prices. She hasn't delivered. Her bill, H.R. 4 repeals the prohibition on negotiations, but leaves full discretion in the hands of the Bush Administration. I can promise you that nothing will happen before January 2009. Some thoughtful ideas are floating out there on Medicare drug price negotiation. The FISA debate demonstrates what can be achieved if we act like Democrats. Why don't we start now rather than giving the drug companies a 2 year victory?
2. Drug importation is less valuable now that the dollar is hitting record lows. But drug importation is an important lesson - for several years now the Bush Administration has had the authority to import cheaper drugs, but hasn't chosen to use it. Why try the same trick again? When has Bush used discretionary authority to favor consumers over big business?
3. More ominously, if Dems are stupid enough to take PhRMA money and block a sensible idea like lower Medicare drug prices, how will they ever take really difficult stands on health care reform and get it done? I admit that Hillary's health care plan looks somewhat better than Obama's on paper, but will any of this matter if the Dems vote like Republicans? We need a transformative election here; something that changes the Congress in a significant way; a new set of ground rules.
Sounds like hope and change, with real, practical results.