Heartbreaking!
You’ve seen the heartbreaking ads with older vets pleading with us not to vote for Prop 61 because if we do, they’ll have to choose between food and drugs. Do the people who support Prop 61 really want to price our nation’s vets out of their medicine? Absolutely not!
The people who might actually hurt your Gramps are the ones spending nearly $90 million to oppose Prop 61. Yes, it’s the pharmaceutical companies who are threatening our nation’s veterans if we pass Prop 61. Let’s take a closer look:
What’s Prop 61?
It’s a strategy to both lower the cost of drugs purchased by the State of California and increase drug pricing transparency. It does this by tying drug prices paid by the state to those paid by the Veterans Administration (VA). Prop 61 says that the state will pay no more than the VA does for drugs. Check out the California Official Voter Information Guide for more information.
What’s the reason for it?
Drug prices are spiraling so high that many Californians can’t afford their medicines. So healthcare leaders and consumer protection groups came up with Prop 61 to rein in the drug companies. See, our political leaders won’t regulate drug prices as is done in many countries (France, United Kingdom, Australia, etc.). This may be because they receive incredibly generous campaign contributions from Big Pharma.
Is California the only state tackling the drug price problem?
Absolutely not! Other states, including Colorado, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington are exploring price transparency bills, price caps and empowering Medicaid to negotiate drug costs.
Who will Prop 61 directly affect?
If it passes, it will directly affect Californians whose health care is paid by the state – mainly 4 million people in Medi-Cal fee-for-service plans (not Medi-Cal Managed Care) and state employees, including UC and Cal State university employees.
What about the rest of us?
Any impact will be indirect. The state uses our tax dollars to buy medicine for 4 million Californians. If the price they pay goes down, then the state could save as much as $5.7 billion (estimated) over the next decade.
Who’s Behind Prop 61?
Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, along with the California Nurses Association, AARP, Robert Reich (former Secretary of Labor) and Sen. Bernie Sanders. It’s also supported by VoteVets.
Who’s Against It?
Primary opponents are pharmaceutical companies and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Big Pharma knows Prop 61 could lead to a landslide of similar legislation across the country and a halt to their gravy train. That’s why they’re willing to spend as much as they need to defeat it. (As of 9/20/16, they’ve spent nearly $90 million.) In addition, certain veterans groups, the California Medical Assn. and the California State Council of Laborers oppose it.
Why are some veterans opposing it?
Veterans pay less for their medicine than practically anyone else and Big Pharma is spreading fear that their drug prices will rise if Prop 61 passes. In short, Big Pharma has scared some of them, just like they’re trying to scare the rest of us.
In 1990, drug companies actually did raise prices on veterans’ drugs in response to federal legislation intended to lower the cost of medicine for low-income Americans. To protect our veterans from additional price hikes, Congress passed the Veterans Healthcare Act of 1992 limiting the price of drugs purchased by the VA. So our veterans already have major protections against price hikes.
Still, Big Pharma could raise drug prices for certain veterans, because different veterans’ agencies have different (often better) deals with drug companies than the standard VA deal. Of course, if they did raise veteran’s drug prices, they’d risk more bad publicity. But that’s never stopped them before. . . .
How Does Big Pharma Try to Scare Us?
By using the same conceptual strategies they’ve used for years:
- Judas Goats: Recruit trusted spokespersons (veterans, doctors) to convince us to vote against our own interests.
- Divide and conquer: Blame “others” for the problem (such as immigrants).
- Zero-sum game: Maintain that there’s not enough health care for everyone. “If I get it, then you won’t.”
- Fear Mongering: Allege uncertainty about the outcome of reform.
Unfortunately we’re susceptible to being scared because we’re already afraid of needing health care, of being sick, of not having enough money. And why wouldn’t we be afraid, after the Affordable Care Act? How’s your schlocky, inadequate, unaffordable health insurance working out for you?
Will Big Pharma win again?
It all depends on whether we’re too afraid to fight back. But consider this: If Big Pharma is willing to spend $90 million (or more) to stop Prop 61, there must be something in it that scares them.
The truth is, there are winners and losers in our healthcare system, and whatever we try to fix, the result will affect people in different ways. The only certainty is that the corporate parasites in health care will fight us with every last dollar.
Should we do nothing because we’re afraid of what they might do? Or should we take a stand and start tightening the screws on the jerks?
Our answer is “yes,” let’s support affordable medicine for everyone with Prop 61. But let’s also vow to stand with our nation’s veterans and act decisively against any “revenge price hikes” by Big Pharma.
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I get Medicare and I’ve seen prices go up over the years. There’s nothing to keep the drug companies from setting whatever price they want for those of us NOT getting drugs through the state. I can see them punishing us if we do pass 61
Look at Prop 61 as a restraining order against an abusive spouse. Of course there’s fear that the abuser will get revenge. But is doing nothing really an option when our friends, neighbors, co-workers and loved ones are being harmed? Big Pharma is beating the crap out of American people who happen to be sick. Standing by while others suffer (hoping it doesn’t happen to us) is unethical. Let’s start the process of curbing Big Pharma abuse with Prop 61. We expect them to respond with their dirty tricks. We will stand – or we will fall – together.
If we pass 61, what is to stop big pharma from hiking drug prices for the rest of us who have employer sponsored or private health care? Seem inevitable that we will pay for the cuts to the public programs.
Whether we pass Prop 61 or not, there is nothing stopping Big Pharma from hiking our drug prices. Employer sponsored or private health insurance does not protect us. Our friends, neighbors, co-workers and loved ones with diabetes, allergies, cancer and more are already suffering from skyrocketing drug prices. Our only hope is to begin a process of curbing Big Pharma. Prop 61 is a very small step, indeed, but it helps reduce the cost of taxpayer-purchased drugs. Doing nothing means things will get worse and worse.