Any wonder why Health Care Reform gets so ugly?
there's lots at stake here.
Pfizer, the worlds biggest drug maker was hit with a 2.3 BILLION dollar penalty for for repeatedly cheating. They are, and continue to be promoting their products to doctors with lavish junkets. This is the 4th time the Feds have caught them cheating in the past 10 years. Now, the Feds have put in place a special monitoring by the Health and Human Service Department inspector general for 5 years. In the past 10 years, drug companies in the US have paid 11 BILLION dollars in settlements. In the latest criminal and civil case, Mass gets 15 MILLION dollars.
Six corporate whistle blowers will share 102 MILLION dollars as a reward.
And today, we learn from CNN, there are 6 different lobbyists per Senator from Health Care advocates.
Bottom line..... if these industry giants can afford to pay BILLIONS in fines for civil and criminal proceedings... then we as consumers have been paying way to much for our drugs, for way to many years. It's past the time for drug companies to be regulated.... this coming from a Libertarian...
posted by Jim Pillsbury @ 4:21 PM
8 Comments
8 Comments:
And this from the Herald.. on Devals new hip.
Gov. Deval Patrick, who has worked to rein in health-care costs by curbing the financial ties between doctors and medical companies, had his hip replaced this week by a surgeon who has been paid millions of dollars in consulting fees by a top replacement hip maker.
The governor went under the knife of Dr. Harry Rubash, the head of orthopedic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. Rubash received some $3.3 million in payments for two years of consulting work for Zimmer Inc.
The Warsaw, Ind.-based Zimmer disclosed payments to doctors and hospitals as part of a settlement with federal authorities that ended a probe into alleged kickback practices by companies looking to gain market share in the $6.5 billion orthopedic device industry. The list included payments to Rubash of $1.1 million in 2007 and $2.2 million in 2008.
As Kennedy said, those that have money get the best health care that money can buy. Those that have no money get no health care. You are right on target Jim with your statement that if the drug giants can afford those types of "gifts", lobbyist fees, and settlement fees,then they are making way too much money, and they are making it off of us, the people paying for their products. This has got to stop. Maybe health care plan being proposed in Congress now is not perfect but we all should see that something has got to change.
The salary and bonus paid to Cleve L. Killingsworth, chairman and chief executive of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, increased 26 percent last year, to $3.5 million, even though the health insurer's membership declined and its net income fell 49 percent.
Based on previous years' retirement benefits - which Blue Cross- Blue Shield did not report for 2008 - Killingsworth's total pay package was likely about $4.3 million, making him by far the highest paid healthcare executive in Massachusetts.
Does he want Health Care Reform?
Too bad the ratio of teachers to students in this country was not as good as the ratio of health care lobbyists to senators.
The governors health care package anyone know what that is? How did he end up with the best doctor in Boston to do this surgery, just by chance? Not saying he is not entitled to the best, as long as HE is paying for it, and not the taxpayers of the Commonwealth.
Salaries like what that Blue Cross Blue Shield guy got are the main problem with this health care system as it now exists. If we can not get health care reform to pass how about passing a cap on the compensation packages for those in the business of selling health care. That should revamp the system
You say MA gets 15 Mill. Where does that money go? Does it decrease the budget shortfall? Is there any sort of regulation or audit of where that 15 Mil gets spent? How do we find that out? Can you post that information here?
I have had enough of this bull. I am taking the weekend off to enjoy the sun, warm breezes and my family. Do a cookout in the backyard. Hope you all do the same. All of these issues will be here waiting for us when we come back on Tuesday.
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