"Congressional Democrats' intensifying efforts to pay for their
healthcare overhaul and provide more relief for consumers are threatening to
unravel a White House deal with the pharmaceutical industry and turn one of
Washington's most powerful lobbies against the legislation," the Los Angeles
Times reports. "Drug makers, which have already spent $110 million lobbying
Congress this year, are preparing to make a stand in the Senate," where a health
bill is expected to be unveiled this week. Senior administration
officials "are warning members of Congress not to antagonize the
deep-pocketed industry at a time when a major victory appears to be within
reach, according to Democratic aides."
Under a deal struck between the
White House and drug makers this summer, "companies pledged to support an
overhaul and provide limited discounts to Medicare patients in exchange for a
promise that no other controls would be imposed on pharmaceutical prices." But
the House legislation challenges that deal by forcing "drug makers to provide
bigger discounts when the federal government buys drugs for low-income senior
citizens on Medicare. The bill also would give the government new authority to
negotiate lower prices for all seniors on Medicare." Now, it appears a
bipartisan group of senators "wants to open the door to lower-priced
prescription drugs from other countries. Still other lawmakers want to speed the
development of cheaper generic versions of biologic drugs, a new class of
pharmaceuticals" (Levey and Hamburger, 11/17).
This Web Page Created with PageBreeze Free HTML Editor