Good evening, Kossacks, now this week has been hard with the Baucus trying to pretend to be a vote-counter, Conrad being a stubborn child, and Lincoln being a mouse, but there is lots more to do in the health care debate. A battle was lost (it was the Finance Committee after all) and people are fired up, but the war is something we seem to be winning. I have seen all of the talk shows and news shows this week and Senators Rockefeller, Harkin, Scumer, and Wyden are all pretty optimistic that their amendments will be voted on and passed on the Senate floor.
The man taking a lower profile in this debate is Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. On September 29th, he made a case on The Ed Show for his amendment that he will have added to the final Senate bill. This amendment will allow people to purchase medications in Canada whether in person or by mail order, among other options.
Read the transcript below the fold to see Senator Dorgan's pitch.
SCHULTZ: Welcome back to THE ED SHOW.
Here‘s some bipartisanship on health care for you. A new bill by Senators Byron Dorgan, John McCain, and Olympia Snowe would let you and me, Americans, once again buy FDA-approved prescription drugs on the cheap from those guys up north—Canada.
Now, this is huge, folks. The bill really sticks it to big pharma. It‘s a win for consumers and the federal government. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that this bill would save the American people roughly $60 billion over the next decade.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised a vote this year, and the debate could start pretty soon.
Joining me now is Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who is leading the charge on this.
Good to have you with us.
SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: Thanks, Ed. It‘s good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: Where‘s the deal here for the American consumer? What would your amendment change that would affect my wallet, your wallet, everybody else‘s wallet when it comes to prescription drugs?
DORGAN: Well, listen, the American people are charged the highest prices in the world for brand name drugs. Our legislation, which is broadly bipartisan, 30 cosponsors in the Senate, would give the American people the freedom to purchase those identical drugs, FDA approved, sold in several other countries where the chain of custody is safe just as ours is.
And let me just show you if I might—here‘s two bottles that contain Lipitor. It‘s the largest selling cholesterol-lowering drug.
The only difference—this, by the way, is made in Ireland, put in the same bottle, sent all around the world. This goes to Canada and it costs $1.57 per pill. This bottle goes to the United States and it‘s $4.78 per pill—per tablet.
So, we get to pay triple. That makes no sense to me. Give the American people the freedom to get the same FDA-approved drug wherever they can get it for a fraction of the price.
SCHULTZ: So, we would have to go to Canada to get this, or how would this work?
DORGAN: No. We would certify mail order so that you could—just as consumers do now. In fact, our bill, by the way, would substantially provide a much greater and safer regimen for counterfeit drugs.
We would actually create on all of these drugs batch lots, pedigrees, and so on, so you could trace it back. Our drug supply would be safer this way, but it gives the American people the ability to shop for that FDA-approved drug elsewhere. And when we do that, it will force the pharmaceutical industry to reprice their drugs in this country and give the American consumer a fair deal.
SCHULTZ: OK. So, this is just good old American gouging that‘s taking place on the consumer. And that‘s why we see all these ads on TV. Is that where it‘s all going?
DORGAN: Well, sure. I mean, they get you on television.
Early in the morning, you‘re brushing your teeth, you‘ve got the television on. They say, you know what? We want you to go to your doctor today and ask your doctor whether the purple pill is right for you. You know, all this advertising.
By the way, they spend more on marketing and advertising than they do on research. So, maybe they could cut some of that back. And all I‘m asking for is fair pricing of prescription drugs for the American people. We shouldn‘t pay the highest prices in the world.
SCHULTZ: It makes sense to me.
Senator Dorgan, great to have you with us tonight.
DORGAN: Thanks, Ed. Good to be with you.
SCHULTZ: Now, that is commonsense amendment legislation coming up.
According to CQ Politics, Senator Dorgan is quite an anomaly in his somewhat red-leaning state for he is fairly liberal (he is also pro-regulation and was the loudest critic of the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act), but still is popular, more so than the Conservadem Conrad. According to CQ Politics, Senator Dorgan's popularity stems from the fact that he is considered a champion of the working class and has never shafted his state during his tenure on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Now, I feel that there is a great hope left for passing decent reform that doesn't amount to a repeat of the 2003 Health Improvement and Modernization Act. Some Conservadems decry that we don't have the votes to pass a public option that bends the cost curve, but to be honest, we don't have to votes to NOT pass such a public option. Republicans (with the possible exception of Snowe, but I won't hold my breath) will vote against it anyway and the most progressive members of the Senate will vote it down, killing it.
Once the Baucus bill passes committee next week and moves to the the Senate floor (floor debate is scheduled to happen on their first day back after Columbus Day).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------
ACTION: Here's what you can do to help:
Show solidarity with the progressives in Congress who are unbending on reform RIGHT HERE!
Pressure the Senate to be open to reconciliation HERE!
Don't forget to call/contact your Senators and congressperson!