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Nervous GOP Senators want
Medicare Changes
INDUSRY, BUSH OPPOSE PRICE
NEGOTIATIONS
Los Angeles Times
The Republican-led Senate, worried that
seniors will punish GOP lawmakers at the polls for missteps in
the new Medicare prescription-drug program, voted Wednesday to
authorize the government to lengthen the sign-up period for
the benefit and to negotiate cut-rate prices with drug
companies.
The Senate votes provided fresh evidence
that the prescription drug insurance program, which President
Bush has held up as one of the leading achievements of his
presidency, has instead turned into a political liability.
The vote to allow the government to
negotiate for discounts on drugs marked a major policy
reversal for the Senate and a rare move against the
pharmaceutical industry, one of the leading donors to federal
political campaigns, with most of its money going to
Republicans. Negotiations for drug discounts were barred under
the 2003 law that created the prescription benefit.
Although the Senate action does not carry
the force of law because the amendments were attached to a
budget resolution that provides only guidance for legislation,
it carries political significance by putting the
administration on notice that it cannot depend on routine
approval by Congress of its implementation of the drug
program.
The votes came as Bush, who has
acknowledged the widespread confusion among seniors over the
new benefit, personally felt the sting of seniors' unhappiness
as he faced sharp questions about the program Wednesday during
a visit to a Maryland senior center. The
trip was intended to promote the prescription benefit and to
encourage seniors to sign up for the plan before May 15. After
that date, they will have to pay a surcharge to enroll.
Bush said he was committed to keeping the
May 15 deadline in place. Democrats have argued for weeks that
the government should extend the initial enrollment period,
given the confusion over how to sign up for the benefit and
the widespread problems that have left many who did sign up
unable to get their prescriptions filled or paid for.
Democrats have long said the government,
which spends billions of dollars annually on pharmaceuticals
through Medicare, ought to be able to negotiate with drug
companies for discounts, as other big customers do.
But it was only Wednesday that enough
Republicans joined them for the Senate to take action. The
vote authorizing Medicare to negotiate on prices, as private
insurers do now, was a particularly bitter pill for the
administration, which has consistently sided with the drug
companies against negotiated price levels.
“The rapidly escalating price of
prescription drugs threatens to undermine the very drug
benefit Congress passed to deliver real savings to seniors,”
said Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, a sponsor of the provision.
Ken Johnson, senior vice president of
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the
industry trade association, said the drug companies already
are negotiating prices with the prescription drug plans
available to Medicare recipients.
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Spring Allergy
Season – Get Prepared!
It's that time of
the year, spring is in full swing and winter is slowly
becoming a memory. While some people will be planning family
picnics, trips to the ballpark and other ways to enjoy the
warm weather, 35 million Americans will be preparing to deal
with spring allergy symptoms.
In simple terms, an allergy is a
hyperactive response of the immune system to certain
substances which are "foreign" to our bodies. These substances
are called "allergens", and they can range from food and
pollen to dust and drugs. Allergies are something we acquire
throughout life, and some people are more susceptible than
others.
In an allergic reaction, the immune
system mistakenly interprets a harmless substance as a harmful
one. The immune system responds by producing antibodies that
are designed to help neutralize specific parasitic invaders
and protect the person from future exposures. Upon first
exposure to an allergen, no allergic symptoms develop. But
when the person is exposed to the same substance at a later
time, the antibodies against the allergen activate an allergic
reaction. When allergy antibodies are activated by an
allergen, they cause body cells to release a substance called
histamine, a chemical that dilates blood vessels, promotes
fluid secretions, and stimulates nerves that cause muscles to
spasm. These reactions create various allergy symptoms.
IF YOU HAVE POLLEN OR HAYFEVER
ALLERGIES:
- The most effective strategy is to avoid
contact with pollen.
- If possible avoid allowing pollen in to
the bedroom: wash your hair before going to bed and leave
your day clothes outside the bedroom.
- Let fresh air into the house during
rainy days.
- Leave windows closed at night.
- Protect your eyes with sunglasses when
outside.
- Use disposable handkerchiefs.
- Avoid physical activity in the open
air, if possible.
- Stay at home with the windows closed on
days with high predicted pollen counts.
- Do not leave washing to dry in the open
air as it picks up pollen. There is less
grass pollen in forests with dense
foliage, so take walks in wooded areas, if you are allergic
to grass pollen.
- Install an air filter in the car and in
the house if possible.
In preparation for the season,
Medisave.ca has organized an easy to view list with all
allergy relief medications. Click on the names to find out
more about each medication and the different doses and
quantities.
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What You Had To Say
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M.B.
“The
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cost of low income Americans who can't afford the exorbitant
costs of their medications. That is the only reason for the
new Medicare Plan...to try to stop citizens from going to
Canada or
Mexico to
receive the same prescriptions at a fraction of the cost they
are charged in the
United States. I am
prescribed Premarin. You can't even GET generic Premarin here
in the states. Even with the prescription plan with my
insurance company, it costs me $30 a month, which doesn't seem
like a lot, but on my severely limited income, it is a burden.
I spoke to my doctor about getting generic Premarin from your
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we all do what is necessary. For $3 less than I would pay a
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V.M.
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