Political Quotes

“today, I am pleased to reintroduce the Medicare Enhancements for Needed Drugs Act, the MEND Act, with my colleague, Senator Olympia Snowe. One of the most important promises of the original Medicare Part D debate, and from the more recent health reform debate, is to drive cost containment in the field of prescription drugs. Allowing Medicare to negotiate for drug prices would be a groundbreaking cost containment measure for a senior who might otherwise be bankrupted by their prescription drug costs. The legislation introduced today clearly prohibits price setting or the creation of a uniform formulary. It simply allows the Medicare program to be a smart shopper by allowing Medicare to go into the market and use its clout just like any other big purchaser. Certainly, there is a significant group of special interests in this town that do not want the Federal Government to be a smart shopper. The number of lobbyists that have worked against this legislation over the years has been just staggering. For example, the Center for Responsive Politics estimated that last year the pharmaceutical industry spent over $250 million for lobbying to squash initiatives such as this. And make no mistake about what the special interests who oppose this legislation want to do. They would rather soak senior citizens and the taxpayers and add to the budget deficit than to have to negotiate with the Federal Government.”