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Support Fair and Equitable Drug Prices for All

There's nothing wrong with making a buck, and the research and development money spent by the pharmaceutical industry has created drugs that have saved and extended lives. But the way those same companies price drugs to consumers has to change.

Medicare pays more for its prescription drugs than does the VA system. Canada pays less for American drugs than Americans do. Brand-name prescription drugs cost several times what generics do, with no additional benefit discerned in clinical trials.

Whether it's the doughnut hole in Medicare Part D, the government waiving its right to negotiate for bulk prices with drug providers, lifting the ban on the reimportation of US-made drugs sold in other countries at cheaper costs, or using biotechnology to create cheaper generic drugs, I pledge to push Congress and the President to reform our system to promote sane, equitable prices on pharmaceuticals for all in 2009.

This is an ongoing pledge that should be fulfilled as often as possible.

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Comments, Suggestions and Stories

Dale Carriere @ 01:43PM PT Nov 19

While the FDA considers re-importation illegal, they aren't stopping anyone from doing it. A company my mom uses is www.canamericaglobal.com they have some pretty great pricing.

It's a shame and a scam that people have to fall into this donut hole, I pay for my moms prescriptions, her first year on Part D cost me about $2200, this last year using the company I mentioned above, I've only spent $875 so far and she was given another medication this last year. Right now, she has a supply to last her until February!
Nicholas Sumpter @ 05:24PM PT Oct 22

My mother is in the 'doughnut hole' and we can't afford all her medications.
Anthony cash @ 09:58AM PT Sep 07

Results in finacial ruins for many seniors.
starvin marvin Hooterville, North Dakota, and Taffee, Minnesota and Big Beavers, OR @ 03:00PM PT Jul 20
Pledge fulfilled Jul 20!

My room mates prescription drug effexor can cost $80 to $140. Generic is $4.
Jim Miller Riverdale, MD @ 08:33PM PT May 30

I feel this pledge is important because I know what it is like to have to pay for your meds out of pocket. My wife and I owned a small business and had to let our health insurance go because we couldn't afford it. I have bipolar disorder and ADD and we were paying $600 a month out of pocket for meds, most of which had no generic equivalent.
Wendy Watson Sanford, FL @ 02:09PM PT Mar 01

Do you know that Medicare pays about 1/4 the price you pay if you have to buy over the counter?
Kristi Sakai @ 06:50PM PT Feb 17

And...without the insanely expensive insurance...we would not have enough money to pay for my children's and husband's medication. We've lost all of our savings, my husband's 401K and without insurance we'd lose the last thing we have: our home.
Kristi Sakai @ 06:48PM PT Feb 17

All three children of our children have disabilities and everyone in our family has pre-existing conditions. My husband lost his job in December 2006 while on short-term disability preceding surgery. COBRA insurance cost us $1200 and then $1300 per month JUST for the premium. When we finally went to Portability after the 18 months of COBRA ended it went down to "only" $800, but w/ a $2,500 deductible. Our daughter's medication costs $200 per month. Every time we walk into the neurologist's office it costs us $270. Without insurance we couldn't afford to pay for medication and our daughter who has epilepsy (and autism) could have a life threatening seizure. We've been using ALL of my husband's long-term disability plus social security just to cover medical needs.

No family should have to make the choice between medical care or food for their children, but we have been faced w/that issue many times. I don't know what we would have done w/out the food bank.
Star Mason @ 02:49PM PT Feb 16

medicines are for saving lives not making people rich
Sherri Cox Arlington, TX @ 06:50PM PT Feb 15

I'm a small business owner who cannot afford health insurance. Between me and my husband we spend nearly 1000.00 dollars each month for doctors and medication. That SHOULD buy health insurance. The problem? We can't find insurance that would pay for the visits and medications we must have. They are always "excluded". In the past, we have payed for insurance we couldn't use AND continued to shoulder our usual expenses. It's absolutely ridiculous. I hear people at the pharmacy complain about having to pay their 25.00 co-pay. I pay as much as 300.00 for some of those same medications. I pay full price. Stop the expensive commercials, stop pandering to the doctors, stop screwing the American public. I wish there was an inexpensive pill for the enhancement of ETHICS.