The Senate Finance Committee shoots down the “Public Option” and sends out a bill that supposedly “includes numerous new consumer protections, including a ban on companies denying insurance on the basis of pre-existing conditions. At the same time it provides government subsidies to help lower-income Americans afford insurance that is currently beyond their means. It also includes steps that supporters say will begin to slow the rate of growth in health care costs nationwide.”
Note the word “begin.” It just is not alright to simply “begin.” I’m not going to presume to speak for all, or even a few, just myself. My wife’s $6000 deductible with a $50.00 co-pay just went to $240 a month from $200. Her prescription for Cymbalta is about $170.00 for 30, if she were to buy it at a local pharmacy, or even Wal-Mart. There is, however, a generic out of England for which we recently paid around $150.00 for 90.
We used a pharmacy in Canada which was discussed in a Wall Street Journal article nearly ten years ago and that we’ve been using ever since. Before you give me that “Viagra SPAM” grin, in that article which was written during all the uproar over Canadian pharmacies back then (seniors crossing the border to get prescriptions, etc.) and outlined what one should look for in such an establishment, e.g. bricks and mortar, pharmacists on staff and on duty, a real telephone system and so forth. It also referenced a few, of which this was one.
Back then we used it much more frequently for my wife’s prescriptions, but as time passed and $4.00 generics emerged, our patronage decreased significantly, in fact, to zero until the Cymbalta prescription.
It is just beyond my comprehension why the so-called “leaders” can’t fix this. Well, that was euphemistic. I can comprehend why they can’t: The fact of the matter is they won’t, they just don’t have the fortitude to do so.
Further, the Administration clearly can’t get anything done, save get elected and that’s in doubt for 2012 (yeah, it is a long way off), and I suppose when the Dems (my party) loses seats in 2010, the message will be well sent.
