Repubs Use Antiquated Senate Rules to Block Medicare Reform

rimrocker · Apr 18, 2007

Why can't Republicans just give the American people an up or down vote? Bring it to the floor and debate it and vote on it. And threatening a filibuster? Oh my! Isn't that illegal or radioactive or something.

Bill to Let Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices Is Blocked
By ROBERT PEAR
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/washington/18cnd-medicare.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

WASHINGTON, April 18 — A pillar of the Democratic political program tumbled today when Republicans in the Senate blocked a proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans, a practice now forbidden by law.

Democrats could not muster the 60 votes needed to take up the legislation in the face of staunch opposition from Republicans, who said that private insurers and their agents, known as pharmacy benefit managers, were already negotiating large discounts for Medicare beneficiaries.

Fifty-five senators, including 6 Republicans, supported a Democratic motion to limit debate and proceed to consideration of the bill, while 42 senators voted against it. Such motions require a three-fifths majority under Senate rules. Without a limit on debate, opponents can prevent legislation from ever coming to a vote.

The Senate had only a brief debate on the merits of the legislation, which is a high priority for the new Democratic majority in Congress.

Republicans framed the issue as a choice between government-run health care and a benefit managed by the private sector. The drug benefit is delivered and administered by private insurers, under contract to Medicare.

Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, denounced the bill as “a step down the road to a single-payer, government-run health care system.”

Democrats said they were merely trying to untie the hands of the secretary of health and human services, so he could negotiate on behalf of 43 million Medicare beneficiaries.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs is able to negotiate for lower-priced drugs,” said the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada. “H.M.O.’s can negotiate. Wal-Mart can negotiate. Why in the world shouldn’t Medicare be able to do that?”

The 2003 Medicare law prohibits Medicare from negotiating drug prices, setting prices or establishing a uniform list of covered drugs, known as a formulary.

Mr. Reid said the Democrats fell short today because of “the power of the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry” and their close ties to Republicans in Congress.

But the vote also reflected ineffectual advocacy by Democrats, who were slow in responding to criticism from knowledgeable, well-prepared Republican senators like Charles E. Grassley of Iowa.

“Private competition works,” said Mr. Grassley, a principal author of the 2003 Medicare law. “The government has very little experience and a dismal track record figuring out what to pay for drugs.”

Big companies that offer the Medicare drug benefit, like Caremark and Medco Health Solutions, “have more market power than Medicare” because they negotiate for tens of millions of people in private health plans, as well as for Medicare recipients, Mr. Grassley said.

The House passed a bill requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate drug prices by a vote of 255 to 170 on Jan. 12, just eight days after the new Congress convened. The Senate bill would permit but not require such negotiations.

President Bush had threatened to veto either or both versions of the legislation.

Neither the House bill nor the Senate bill gives much guidance to Medicare officials on how to negotiate.

In creating the drug benefit in 2003, Congress made a radical departure from traditional Medicare, which offers uniform benefits defined by law. Medicare recipients in every state now have a choice of prescription drugs plans with different benefits, premiums, co-payments and deductibles.

The 2003 law prohibited the government from interfering in negotiations between drug manufacturers and private companies that provide the Medicare drug benefit. The House and Senate bills would repeal this ban.

Employers and health plans typically get discounts on particular drugs in return for encouraging patients to use those medicines, rather than competing products.

The Congressional Budget office said that the Senate bill, like the House measure, “would have a negligible effect on federal spending.”

“Without the authority to establish a formulary or other tools to reduce drug prices, we believe that the secretary would not obtain significant discounts from drug manufacturers across a broad range of drugs,” the budget office said.

The Republican senators who joined Democrats in voting to take up the drug price negotiation bill were Norm Coleman of Minnesota, Susan Collins of Maine, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Gordon H. Smith of Oregon, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania.

Some Republicans were prepared to filibuster the Senate bill, but that proved unnecessary.

The Senate Republican whip, Trent Lott of Mississippi, said Republicans had blocked consideration of the bill because they did not want to dicker with Democrats over amendments on unrelated issues, “with no happy end in sight.”

But Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, predicted that the Senate would vote again on the issue, perhaps on an amendment to a spending bill or other legislation.

“The fight will go on,” Mr. Wyden said.
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weslinder · Apr 18, 2007

I still say that Ted Kennedy should have never had the Senate Rules changed. If Senators had to actually get up and talk for a filibuster, they wouldn't use it nearly as often. Besides, it made for some of the best C-Span TV ever.

GladiatoRowdy · Apr 19, 2007

weslinder said:

I still say that Ted Kennedy should have never had the Senate Rules changed. If Senators had to actually get up and talk for a filibuster, they wouldn't use it nearly as often. Besides, it made for some of the best C-Span TV ever.
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I am not sure that the words "best" and "C-SPAN" belong in the same sentence.

pirc1 · Apr 19, 2007

andymoon said:

I am not sure that the words "best" and "C-SPAN" belong in the same sentence.

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What are you talking about, C-SPAN is great!

GladiatoRowdy · Apr 19, 2007

pirc1 said:

What are you talking about, C-SPAN is great!
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...for insomnia.

weslinder · Apr 19, 2007

andymoon said:

I am not sure that the words "best" and "C-SPAN" belong in the same sentence.

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You're right. It's not good. But it's funny in hindsight. Having Senators get up and read their shopping lists, talk about vacations, read a telephone book, all in "debate" makes for interesting news shows.

halfbreed · Apr 19, 2007

You know, I bet C-SPAN could increase their viewership if they created a Fantasy Congress game.

"YES! 5 points for a fillibuster!"

"DAMN! Lost 6 points because one of my starting congressman took bribes."

weslinder · Apr 19, 2007

halfbreed said:

You know, I bet C-SPAN could increase their viewership if they created a Fantasy Congress game.

"YES! 5 points for a fillibuster!"

"DAMN! Lost 6 points because one of my starting congressman took bribes."
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Believe it or not, here it is: http://www.fantasycongress.com/fc/

hotballa · Apr 19, 2007

weslinder said:

Believe it or not, here it is: http://www.fantasycongress.com/fc/
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...

i cant believe there's such a thing.

hotballa · Apr 19, 2007

we should be glad we only have talking during a filibuster. In Taiwan's congress, their version of a filibuster is a jawbuster, as in rush the guy talking and beat him up.

pirc1 · Apr 19, 2007

hotballa said:

...

i cant believe there's such a thing.
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It would be you who found that site.

pirc1 · Apr 19, 2007

hotballa said:

we should be glad we only have talking during a filibuster. In Taiwan's congress, their version of a filibuster is a jawbuster, as in rush the guy talking and beat him up.
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That is awesome! I think was it in Russia or somewhere they undressed a female congress woman during a fight. That's the kind of things that will bring in more viewers to C-SPAN. Heck they could even charge pay per view if things like that happens in the US congress.

GladiatoRowdy · Apr 19, 2007

pirc1 said:

That is awesome! I think was it in Russia or somewhere they undressed a female congress woman during a fight. That's the kind of things that will bring in more viewers to C-SPAN. Heck they could even charge pay per view if things like that happens in the US congress.
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Are you sure you want to see some of those females undressed? [shudder]

pirc1 · Apr 19, 2007

andymoon said:

Are you sure you want to see some of those females undressed? [shudder]
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It is not to watch them like you watch the super models. It is like watching some reality shows.

DonkeyMagic · Apr 19, 2007

andymoon said:

Are you sure you want to see some of those females undressed? [shudder]
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pelosi losing her top ?

i just puked a little

GladiatoRowdy · Apr 19, 2007

DonkeyMagic said:

pelosi losing her top ?

i just puked a little
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Ginny Brown-Waite.

EEEEWWWWWW!!

halfbreed · Apr 19, 2007

andymoon said:

Ginny Brown-Waite.

EEEEWWWWWW!!
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Ted Kennedy!!!

GROSS!!

DonkeyMagic · Apr 19, 2007

andymoon said:

Ginny Brown-Waite.

EEEEWWWWWW!!
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oh dear lord...now im impotent

GladiatoRowdy · Apr 19, 2007

halfbreed said:

Ted Kennedy!!!

GROSS!!
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C'mon, dude. We're talking about FEMALE members of Congress. Even under the harshest criticism, nobody has disputed that Ted Kennedy is male.

GladiatoRowdy · Apr 19, 2007

DonkeyMagic said:

oh dear lord...now im impotent
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Happy to help.

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