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Let's hear an argument for Republicans

Craig234

Craig234

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Should the government be allowed to negotiate drug prices for Medicare patients, as Bernie Sanders' bill and Democrats say, or have to pay full price, as Republicans say?

www.commondreams.org

GOP Blocks Sanders Effort to Force Vote on Slashing Drug Prices | Common Dreams

"How many people need to die, how many people need to get unnecessarily sicker, before Congress is prepared to take on the greed of the prescription drug industry?" asked Sen. Bernie Sanders.
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
 
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Don't worry. I'm sure the invisible hand will sort it out eventually!
 
Well new drugs are invented other places besides the US. Other than comparing price, however, it's extremely complicated to tell whether these are as valuable from a health perspective.

You want to hear the Republican side though? Even drugs developed in Europe have the lucrative US market to sell into. US consumers are subsidizing drug development for everyone.
 
The lobbyist say, dying is worth job creation for $500 Bob!

Most other first world countries have set prices, and a non profit healthcare system. America get's to do it the capitalist way.

Just don't buy it, die, and that'll change prices due to lack of demand. lol
 
NatMorton said:
The government should certainly be able to negotiate drug prices ... for drugs it, the government, purchases with our money. They should not be dictating the price of goods or services transacted between private parties.
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Why not? The government is the source of the patent protections that allow monopoly pricing, why not allow it to also put some guardrails around the pricing?
 
Spirit of The Millennium said:
You want to hear the Republican side though? Even drugs developed in Europe have the lucrative US market to sell into. US consumers are subsidizing drug development for everyone.
Click to expand...
That’s true! The question is whether Americans have grown tired of this state of affairs.
 
Craig234 said:
Should the government be allowed to negotiate drug prices for Medicare patients, as Bernie Sanders' bill and Democrats say, or have to pay full price, as Republicans say?

www.commondreams.org

GOP Blocks Sanders Effort to Force Vote on Slashing Drug Prices | Common Dreams

"How many people need to die, how many people need to get unnecessarily sicker, before Congress is prepared to take on the greed of the prescription drug industry?" asked Sen. Bernie Sanders.
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
Click to expand...
MSM most likely won't do much covering of this story because they are as much on the take with big pharma money as congresscritters are.
 
I say lets hear an argument for lower drug prices instead of republicans.
 
poweRob said:
MSM most likely won't do much covering of this story because they are as much on the take with big pharma money as congresscritters are.
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You might be right, but I don't think any Republican poster can defend the Republicans' blocking this.
 
The republican healthcare plan. If you get sick, die quickly.

This is the republican leadership looking out for their constituents who obviously would rather pay the highest prices possible, especially the poor southern states which they control. One has to ask oneself, why would a person vote against lower drug prices for americans? Why would a person vote against investing in chip making in america to compete with china and not be so dependent on others to produce our chips?

Is this our government members working for us or themselves?

And to add insult to injury, many will claim Sanders is the problem.
 
Craig234 said:
You might be right, but I don't think any Republican poster can defend the Republicans' blocking this.
Click to expand...
All the republicans and a lot of centrist dems are super happy this got blocked so they don't have to out themselves with their name tied to a vote on it.
 
Greenbeard said:
Why not? The government is the source of the patent protections that allow monopoly pricing, why not allow it to also put some guardrails around the pricing?
Click to expand...

Doesn't it make a little more sense to get rid of the patent protections which allows monopoly pricing in the first place?
 
bongsaway said:
And to add insult to injury, many will claim Sanders is the problem.
Click to expand...

And to add insult to injury, the 'centrist' Democrats call Sanders 'extremist', to attack him for things like wanting to remove the corrupt prohibition against price negotiation - before we even get to Republicans. But at least they'll support the bill.
 
NatMorton said:
The government should certainly be able to negotiate drug prices ... for drugs it, the government, purchases with our money. They should not be dictating the price of goods or services transacted between private parties.
Click to expand...


You may be on to something, Nat. When a govt run op is more lent to privatization, it becomes more costly and/or renders less service. When the govt steps in, cost goes down and/or services are provided that weren't before.
 
Craig234 said:
Should the government be allowed to negotiate drug prices for Medicare patients, as Bernie Sanders' bill and Democrats say, or have to pay full price, as Republicans say?

www.commondreams.org

GOP Blocks Sanders Effort to Force Vote on Slashing Drug Prices | Common Dreams

"How many people need to die, how many people need to get unnecessarily sicker, before Congress is prepared to take on the greed of the prescription drug industry?" asked Sen. Bernie Sanders.
www.commondreams.org www.commondreams.org
Click to expand...
I am for total government controlled healthcare. Period.

Citizens should pay NOTHING for ANY healthcare.
 
NatMorton said:
Because price controls have generally proven to be a disaster wherever they're attempted.
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That’s more or less true when price controls attempt to hold back or disrupt normal market forces. In this case, we’re often talking about a single actor with no legal competitor that can set any price it wants, not a market. Witness the Aduhelm fiasco of a few months ago.
aociswundumho said:
Doesn't it make a little more sense to get rid of the patent protections which allows monopoly pricing in the first place?
Click to expand...
Not really, no.
 
Craig234 said:
And to add insult to injury, the 'centrist' Democrats call Sanders 'extremist', to attack him for things like wanting to remove the corrupt prohibition against price negotiation - before we even get to Republicans. But at least they'll support the bill.
Click to expand...
Pelosi’s House passed Medicare drug price negotiation last session and again this session.
 
aociswundumho said:
Doesn't it make a little more sense to get rid of the patent protections which allows monopoly pricing in the first place?
Click to expand...
The companies should be allowed to make money for inventing a new drug and bringing it to market. They should not be allowed to charge people who need this drug into poverty. What is needed is some price control, not an end to patents
 
NatMorton said:
The government should certainly be able to negotiate drug prices ... for drugs it, the government, purchases with our money. They should not be dictating the price of goods or services transacted between private parties.
Click to expand...

So drugs the government buys for Medicare or Medicaid patients, can be bargained down by government?

Or are you going even further left, and saying those drugs should be taken from company warehouses at whatever price government chooses?
 
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