Pete Welch Bill Takes Back Pharmaceutical Giveaway
WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan proposal in the U.S. House of Representatives would take back a drug company favor tucked into the legislation that averted the so-called fiscal cliff earlier this month.
A little-noticed part of the bill delays a set of Medicare price constraints, the New York Times reported on Saturday. The restraints affect a particular class of drug that includes a kidney dialysis pill manufactured by Amgen, which lobbied heavily for the provision. Amgen told the Times that the provision would ensure "quality of care" for dialysis patients.
"As the nation's economy teetered on the edge of a Congressional-created fiscal cliff, lobbyists for a private, for-profit company seized an opportunity to feed at the public trough," Rep. Pete Welch (D-Vt.) said in a statement.
The provision will cost Medicare $500 million over two years. Welch introduced a bill on Wednesday that would restore the restraints. Reps. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) and Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) co-sponsored Welch's bill.
"Without scrutiny or debate, the American taxpayer was stuck with the $500 million tab. This special interest provision should have stood on its own merits with an up or down vote," Welch said. "It's no wonder cockroaches and root canals are more popular than Congress."
Thank heaven for Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) ... And, oh yeah, they managed to get one Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.). They are stopping this Big Pharma porker from feeding at the trough--to the tune of $500 MILLION, over two years. It hasn't passed yet. I guess we'll see if the teabaggers are more interested in throwing more pork to one of their Pharma buddies (while complaining about the budget), or whether they really want to do something about the pork they themselves tried to slide through the fiscal-cliff process.
If you'd like to start a thread about that please do so...
I'm condemning the $500 MILLION pork giveaway that the GOTP tried to sneak into the fiscal cliff bill for one of its Big Pharma buddies, and CELEBRATING the fact that the Dems just introduced a bill to stop it.
If you have a beef about trying to SAVE the American people $500 Billion, (other than some bullsh*t "They did it too"), I'd love to hear it.
Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma
A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week.
The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.
It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements.
GOP Senator Defends Hidden Giveaway In Fiscal Cliff Deal Orrin Hatch Defends Costly Amgen Provision In Fiscal Cliff Deal
WASHINGTON -- Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch angrily defended the inclusion of a controversial provision in the fiscal cliff deal that will pay major dividends to a single biopharmaceutical company, Amgen. The top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Hatch teamed with panel chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to include a host of tax extenders, credits and other provisions that added billions to the price tag of the bipartisan bargain.
The Amgen provision first surfaced in The New York Times, which noted that the bill blocks Medicare from regulating the price of Amgen's dialysis drug for two more years at a cost to the program of roughly $500 million. Democrats in the House have pledged to repeal it and former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.) launched a petition to have it stripped. Hatch, however, said he resents the response.
At least 22 of Amgen's hired lobbyists previously worked in the Senate and one, Jeff Forbes, worked for Baucus. The Montana senator has been the second largest recipient of Amgen cash since 2008, pulling in $68,750. Hatch has made $61,400 over that time period. Shannon Finley, Baucus' former political director, also lobbies for Amgen.
Oh, no! The GOTP "Deficit Hawk", Orrin Hatch, "angrily defends" passing out $500 MILLION (That's HALF-a-BILLION for those that are paying attention) in pork to one of his Big Pharma buddies, and having the DEMS pass a bill to STOP IT.... (I looked in the dictionary under "chutzpah" and found a picture of Hatch and McConnell...)
Oh, and Fred, you can insert a "They did it too" here: _________________________________________
This all looks silly considering the LARGE BIG PHARMA giveaway (as I posted and documented above) that was part of ObamaCare. But of course, Lady Jazzer has me on ignore, so she can't see (and probably doesn't care) about the rebuttal to her comments. It must be lonely living in a bubble.
