BODY: A
Senate bill that would lower the costs of prescription drugs and also give
states some relief on the soaring costs of Medicaid seems about to die in the
House of Representatives, where Republicans are touting a Medicare
prescription drug benefit, but are, in reality, protecting their friends in
the pharmaceutical industry.
The Senate bill, sponsored
by Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and John McCain, R-Ariz., passed in a lopsided 78-21
vote. The legislation helps constituents, lowers government costs and relies on
the free market to reduce the costs of drugs. Schumer called it the kind of bill
Republicans dream about and, indeed, more Republicans voted for the bill than
voted against it. And still it is on life support in the House.
One explanation for that seeming contradiction is that some Republican
senators, facing difficult election campaigns, took a "free vote" on the matter,
knowing their colleagues in the House would kill the bill. The reason for that
is opposition from the pharmaceutical industry, which is a generous donor to
Republican candidates.
Among those who believe that to
be the case is none other than McCain, himself, who recently appeared with House
Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., to urge passage of the bill, which
closes loopholes that allow drug companies to maintain patent privileges long
after the law says they should expire.
The approach is
sensible. By protecting reasonable patent rights, Congress would ensure that
drug companies remain willing to invest the money needed to produce new
treatments, some of them for debilitating illnesses. But by ensuring that
lower-cost, generic brands can compete when the patent period expires,
legislators also would encourage the kind of price-lowering competition that
capitalism holds as its highest value.
The bill has
another benefit in that it increases Washington's share of funding for Medicaid
for 18 months. The federal government typically pays only half that cost, with
states picking up the remainder. In New York, Albany foists half of its costs
onto the counties, many of which are facing the prospect of big tax increases or
service reductions to account for soaring costs. The Schumer bill would provide
some relief.
It's scandalous that the House is bottling
up this bill, and proof that campaign finance reform was, and is, an important
subject. Schumer and other Democrats are urging House members to sign a
"discharge petition" that could force a vote, but for it to succeed, they need
at least nine Republicans to buck their leadership. Prospects are doubtful.
But Americans, especially older ones, should know that
when it comes to their ability to afford the prescriptions they need, House
Republicans are siding with manufacturers who want to keep generic drugs off the
shelves, and against people who need relief both from illness and high cost.
Document 90 of 532. 