| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"!Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
17 Nov 2004 10:31:18 AM |
| Object: |
New Ad Campaign Launched Against Influence on Medicare by Drug Industry |
http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/MedicareDrugCards/4-11-17AdCampaign.htm
New Ad Campaign Launched Against Influence on Medicare by Drug
Industry
Nov. 17, 2004 --
The association representing the people who work to negotiate lower
drug prices for health programs and insurers, today stepped up their
campaign against the influence of drug manufacturers on the Medicare
system, which they claim will cost billions of dollars in unnecessary
costs and higher Medicare premiums for senior citizens.
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) today launched a
new print advertising initiative to highlight for policymakers the
drug industry's strategy to circumvent PBMs' cost- saving tools in the
new drug benefit and asks "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" against the
backdrop of a photo of a Sumo wrestler.
The answer?
"The big drug companies who are hungry for more profits."
"The drug makers' agenda is to force Medicare to effectively guarantee
sales of their most lucrative drugs and all without making them
compete against one another to generate savings for the program. This
could mean billions of dollars in unnecessary costs and higher premium
for seniors," said PCMA President Mark Merritt.
"This agenda would gut the competitive marketplace the drug makers
claim to want and would lead to more expensive drugs for seniors."
PCMA has launched the new advertising initiative to inform
policymakers about the downsides of allowing the drug makers too much
sway over the design of the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
With the Administration and the US Pharmacopeia working over the next
six weeks to finalize model Medicare formulary guidelines, critical
decisions are pending that could have a significant impact on the
program's costs, beneficiary premiums and co-payments, and the
effectiveness of PBM participation in the new benefit.
____________________________________________________________
The new advertisement can be found at http://www.pcmanet.org
Harry
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