Lots of soi disant Progressives seem to believe that giving Medicare the power to “negotiate” with the pharmaceutical industry is a no-brainer. One of their most frequently deployed talking points is parroted today in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
When the Department of Veterans Affairs buys prescription drugs for veterans, it negotiates discounts from drug manufacturers …
This is always presented as an unalloyed positive, despite the strict limitations of the VA drug benefit and the inability of veterans to get their prescriptions filled at their local pharmacies. Oddly, none of these advocates seem interested in the opinions of patients who actually deal with the VA. Perhaps this is related to the enthusiasm shown by veterans for Part-D.
As Kevin, MD points out here, veterans with a choice are going to Part-D in droves. In other words, the actual patients are rejecting the argument put forward by advocates of Medicare drug negotiation. So, perhaps it’s a good thing that the plan bit the dust in the Senate today.
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