How Pharma is making billions from the poor

July 18, 2006

All thanks to Medicare Part D:

The windfall, which by some estimates could be $2 billion or more this year, is a result of the transfer of millions of low-income people into the new Medicare Part D drug program that went into effect in January. Under that program, as it turns out, the prices paid by insurers, and eventually the taxpayer, for the medications given to those transferred are likely to be higher than what was paid under the federal-state Medicaid programs for the poor.

(via PharmaGossip)



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{ 3 comments }

1 Anonymous July 18, 2006 at 8:29 am

Those big bad drug companies. Making mooney is a bad thing, unless, of course, the physicians are ones doing it. T

2 RJS July 18, 2006 at 8:34 am

Oh nose! The horror!

The first sentence of the article made me laugh:

“The pharmaceutical industry is beginning to reap a windfall from a surprisingly lucrative niche market: drugs for poor people.”

Probably a windfall because those poor people weren’t getting necessary medications before.

Spinjobs everywhere! Why? Because people love to hate.

3 Anonymous July 19, 2006 at 9:11 am

RJS, that’s funny and so very wrong and you know it. Before those people wern’t forced to participate in a plan that is costing a very large portion of their income to purchase prescription drugs, many had medicaid for prescription coverage. The big pharms have just figured out a way to steal from the poor.

Lets see alot of these people (on SSI) get about 603.00 per month to live on. Their medicare part B is 88.50. Lets say they pay another 33.50 a month for their part D through whatever ins. company they have chosen then they go to the pharmacy to pick up their 8 prescriptions and only 4 are covered. One is on preferred plan for 25.00 each other 3 are on the higher end for 65.00 each. You want to do the math.

Don’t forget they still have to pay rent and utilities and buy groceries. Yes buddy, big pharms and this Bush administration knew just exactly what they were doing when they set this up. Don’t say they should have picked a plan that covers more than 4 because there isn’t one.

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