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Ruth -
You pose many good questions:
"Will this cut trickle down into HMO's and private insurers? Will these cuts make the private insurers lower their rates and put more of the burden of the costs onto the patient? Will the co-pay's/premiums increase dramatically to the patients that have insurance? Someone has to help pay for the losses. Will it be us? Can the pharmacutical companies help out? Do we want them to cut the costs of the drugs at the expense of them losing research dollars?"
Here is a good link to an article in the latest AARP Bulletin. So, at the same time as there are some cuts to go into effect, there is a move to make buying from Canada legal. Apparently the Canadians are even more strict on their oversight than we are. (Al from Canada, what say you??)
In the latest issue of the AARP Bulletin is a good article, which is NOT available in the online version, about a book by Marcia Angell who is an industry analyst. "The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Decieve Us and What to Do About It" is published by Random House. Her interview is very revealing as to the fact that WE AMERICANS foot the bill for the rest of the world by paying many times more than charged elsewhere. The industry is bigger than our government and the industry won't stand for the changes we need. Big pharma often has more lobbiests than we have members of congress - and they give big money to campaigns. So, Congress wrote into the new Medicare law a provision that EXPLICITLY forbids Medicare from regulating drug prices in any way. Drug companies can charge what they want. Our representatives in Congress have REALLY LET US DOWN!! Where is Ralph Nader when we need him??
The facts are shocking when they are known. THERE ARE NO LOSSES - look at the annual reports that are available online!! I know you will do your best to speak for us against this travesty against humane and sensible medical treatment.
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