Darlene Hooley: “last year I held over a dozen town hall meetings throughout Oregon about the new Medicare prescription drug program. And…”

“last year I held over a dozen town hall meetings throughout Oregon about the new Medicare prescription drug program. And what I heard is it is overly complex and too expensive. But it doesn't need to be. Lifting the ban that prevents the Department of Health and Human Services from negotiating lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries is one simple fix that would make medicine a whole lot more reasonable for seniors and taxpayers. Almost every store in the Nation will offer you savings if you buy in bulk; but the Medicare program, one of the largest purchasers of prescription drugs in the Nation, is currently prevented from negotiating a bulk discount. What is the cost of this inefficiency? Zocor helps lower cholesterol and is one of the most common drugs prescribed to seniors. At the VA where they can negotiate, you can get a year's supply for $130. Under Medicare, it will cost $1,200, a 900 percent price difference. No reasonable person would pay $23 for a gallon of milk when you can buy it at Safeway for $2.65. The State of Oregon has bulk purchasing power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices from pharmaceutical companies for thousands of low-income and uninsured Oregonians. We know the practice works, allowing more people to be covered, enhancing lives and using taxpayer dollars wisely.”