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Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) — Drugmakers such as Eli Lilly & Co. staved off a possible influx of cheaper medicines from Canada and other nations as the U.S. Senate voted against loosening importation rules as part of larger health-care legislation.
The amendment fell short of the 60 votes needed for approval; the tally on it was 51 in favor, 48 opposed. The measure was sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by North Dakota Democrat Byron Dorgan and Maine Republican Olympia Snowe.
Dorgan’s amendment threatened a truce Democrats struck with the industry, which has so far supported the overhaul effort. Drugmakers agreed in June to contribute $80 billion over 10 years, largely to help seniors afford medicines, in return for heading off other profit-endangering proposals.
Drugmakers’ Windfall of $100 billion
“We missed an opportunity to do something really important for the American people,” Dorgan said after the vote. “This is one amendment that really does bend the cost curve.”
Dorgan, who said his proposal would save $100 billion over 10 years, has decried a 9 percent increase in drug prices this year, saying Americans pay 33 percent to 55 percent more than Europeans and Canadians for the same drugs.
Senate votes 68-32 to OK prescription drug importation plan – Aug. 2006
I am one lucky man, some might say blessed, as earlier this year I had a heart attack and survived — physically and financially.
I am fortunate to have a comprehensive health insurance plan. Yet even an American with good insurance cannot go through a serious medical calamity without getting at least a glimpse of what lies over the precipice of financial and medical disaster.
At a fund-raiser last March for my children’s Jewish day school, I found myself on the floor of a men’s room gasping for air as a result of blockage to one of the arteries to my heart …
Ten days later I had successful bypass surgery and was on the road to recovery, thanks to the highly competent health professionals who diligently worked on my case.
Two weeks at the hospital resulted in a bill that was well into the six-figure range. After my discharge, I began receiving very large bills for my surgeries and hospital charges every few days — bills of $20,000 or $30,000 at a time. The notices on the bottom of the invoices indicated that my insurance carrier had refused to pay because the policy had been terminated and I was expected to pay the bill.
Thankfully my policy was still in effect and I was able to rectify the situation. However, not everyone is able to win a fight with the bureaucracies of insurance companies while also recovering from a life-threatening malady.
Millions of Americans are not so lucky. They may receive inadequate care or have their insurance company deny their claims.
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In addition to these terrible inefficiencies, the inequity and injustice of our system leads many in the Jewish community to believe there is a moral component to health insurance reform. More than virtually any other issue, there is broad consensus for reform — from Agudath Israel of America to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
Stan Dorn, a National Jewish Democratic Council senior fellow, was right when he wrote, “The Torah contains more laws commanding justice and kindness towards the stranger … than it addresses to any other subject, including the Sabbath, the festivals, or even honoring G-d.” Dorn points out that our tradition “teaches that a society is measured in G-d’s sight largely by how its most vulnerable members fare.”
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."