Health Care at any Cost!

The call of the legislature seems to be health care at any cost – and it seems it will be at any cost. Congressman after congressman falls to greed, bought out by the special interests that caused the health care crisis in the first place.

We fought long and hard, and won – for a few months at least – for the right to purchase prescription drugs from outside of the country. New Jersey Senators Menedez and Lautenberg, long on the payroll of the big pharmaceutical, lobbied hard against our right to purchase prescription drugs as a much lower cost from Canada than we can buy the same drugs in the states. We won that battle last year, but now congress reneged and allowed the Big Drugs to buy them lock, stock and barrel.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected two proposals to allow Americans to buy cheaper prescription medicines from other nations, preserving a deal between the White House and the pharmaceutical industry.

A bipartisan group of more than two dozen senators had sought to allow drug imports from Canada and other countries — where drugs often sell at a much lower cost than in the United States. But they saw their proposal, which needed 60 votes to pass in the 100-member Senate, fall short by a vote of 51-48.

“We shouldn’t be paying the highest prices in the world,” Democrat Byron Dorgan said before the vote on his proposal.

Other senators backed a separate measure to allow imports that have been certified as safe by U.S. health officials. Also needing 60 votes, the proposal lost, 56-43.

“It’s really regrettable that the special interests again prevail,” Republican Senator John McCain said.

Even Obama, who had promised to support such an arrangement turned his back on the hard-working voters that put him into office, and ensured that we will now have to pay more for necessary life-saving drugs in order to ensure obscene profits for the big drug companies and huge salaries and bonuses for their CEO’s.

Michael R. Minogue
Chief Executive Officer
ABIOMED Inc.
Healthcare Products

In 2009, Michael R. Minogue raked in $4,776,215 in total compensation.  In the previous year the CEO of this company made $1,274,698. Total CEO compensation has increased by 275%.

Leslie Hudson Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
AVI BioPharma Inc.
Pharmaceuticals

In 2008, Leslie Hudson Ph.D. raked in $1,780,304 in total compensation.* In the previous year the CEO of this company made $929,194. Total CEO compensation has increased by 92%.

Dr. Brian J.G. Pereira M.D.
Chief Executive Officer
AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Pharmaceuticals
In 2008, Dr. Brian J.G. Pereira M.D. raked in $4,869,205 in total compensation.* In the previous year the CEO of this company made $780,119. Total CEO compensation has increased by 524%.

Miles D. White
Chief Executive Officer
Abbott Laboratories
Pharmaceuticals
In 2008, Miles D. White raked in $28,253,387 in total compensation.* In the previous year the CEO of this company made $31,954,549. Total CEO compensation has decreased by 12%.

I could go on and on. $28 MILLION in compensation? And that is a decrease? I am glad the CEO of Abbott was being responsible, I mean Christ, who needs to earn $31 million a year? I am so glad he made the sacrifice!

And the taxpayers still subsidize the drug industry, and we are forced by our elected officials to pay the highest prices in the world for prescriptions as we also subsidize every other country. And these CEO’s earning obscene millions upon millions would still lie and claim that we, the American consumers have a duty to pay more, to lose our houses when our medical bills get too high, to be forced into bankruptcy in order to subsidize their R&D so that they can earn even more money?

It is clear that congress has turned its back on the American people, and are more than willing to sell us out to the highest bidder.  They will speak “Health care reform” but what they mean is they will ensure that the very same entities – the greedy pharmaceuticals, the trial lawyers, the insurance companies – all will continue to escalate the costs to the American people and walk away richer than ever, and we will end up footing the bill.