This time, it is the irrepressible Firedoglake's David Dayden, covering Chairman Henry Waxman, of the US House Energy & Commerce Committee (handling health care matters, as well) -- on the ill-starred PhRMA deal. It is a near certainty, now, that PhRMA's "deal" will be revised in subsequent maneuvering -- under threat of full-on drug reimportation legislation:
. . . .“I have said that I am not bound by that agreement [the $80 billion PhRMA deal],” Waxman said, noting all the provisions in the House bill which go further than the PhRMA deal. He highlighted the “dual eligible” issue, where Republicans in the Medicare Part D benefit shifted millions >eligible for prescription drugs on Medicaid and Medicare into the Part D program, giving billions of dollars in windfall profits to the industry because the Medicaid deal offers better prices for drugs. Waxman said that in the conference, where he expected the President to sit down personally, “I’m going to say, ‘Are we interested in protecting the profits of the drug companies or protecting seniors?’”. . . .
I think reimportation may well emerge as the answer, should PhRMA balk at a $120 billion (or higher) ante, over ten years, in the final agreed reform package.
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