Free Republic

One more item added to what candidate Obama said on the campaign trail about prescription drugs (see bolded paragraph) and what President Obama who cut a deal with drug companies has to say. No wonder Obama's poll numbers are falling so rapidly as he continues to do a 180 from what he said on the campaign trail. When we first heard about Obama's ties to radicals like Communist Frank Davis who was his mentor, Bill Ayers, Bernadine Dohrn, Louis Farrakhan, and others we suspected he would lurch to the left if he was elected. That said, his lurch to the...

CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. - President Bush campaigned Tuesday to boost the troubled new Medicare drug program that is the subject of a fierce election-year debate between Democrats and Republicans. Bush pleaded with older Americans — a key voting block, particularly in midterm congressional elections — to look positively on the new benefit. Under the program, the government subsidizes medication costs for the elderly and disabled through plans created by private insurers. In effect since January, it has been under fire from Democrats as too confusing for seniors with its numerous plans and coverage gaps — and from some conservative Republicans as...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to provide prescription drug discounts to the uninsured "provides a reasonable starting point," the Legislative Analyst's Office said Thursday, but the report suggests stiffening his voluntary approach with drug manufacturers. Lawmakers should add an automatic trigger replacing Schwarzenegger's voluntary rebate proposal with mandatory incentives if drug makers fail to keep promises to cut prices significantly, the analyst said. That alternative would likely bring consumers larger discounts on more drugs, but result in a lengthy court challenge, the analyst said. A Schwarzenegger spokeswoman praised the report for recognizing that the administration is offering "the...

        John Kerry's Crack the Vote Address (Satire)Presidential candidate John Kerry addresses thousands of addicts, many holding signs "WILL VOTE FOR CRACK" at a Crack the Vote rally in Washington D.C. on Saturday.My friends, I have a plan. It's a good plan.  I was talking to Marion Barry (the b*tch set me up) just the other day. He asked me what my drug plan was. I told him that the President's drug plan was the wrong plan at the wrong place at the wrong time.  The president refused to change his policy. The President made drug importation...

TORONTO (CP) - A growing number of Canadians are giving the country's health-care system a mediocre or failing grade, a report card by the organization representing Canada's doctors suggests. "The report card shows that things are getting worse," said Dr. Sunil Patel, president of the Canadian Medical Association, which released the national poll to coincide with its annual meeting this week in Toronto. "Year over year, Canadians have identified that their confidence in their health-care system is eroding." While the quality of medicare earned a B overall, the proportion of C and F grades jumped by eight percentage points compared...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.N., World Bank (news - web sites), the Global Fund to fight AIDS (news - web sites), Tuberculosis and Malaria and former U.S. president Bill Clinton (news - web sites) said on Tuesday they had set up a joint plan to buy and distribute cheap, generic AIDS drugs in poor countries. In a clear jab at the U.S. government, they said they had negotiated discounts of 50 percent or more on HIV (news - web sites) diagnostic tests and on drugs whose safety has been questioned by the Bush Administration. "Simply put, the Clinton Foundation will...

...Eight in 10 said they would be angry or upset if Congress should adjourn this year without passing a prescription drug plan for older Americans. Of those people who would be upset, they said they would blame Republicans by a 2-1 margin.Quote from the Recent Poll on Bush's popularity. Now whether you agree that there should be a plan or not, it is obvious the Republicans have worked out plan that the Democrats are threatening (Thanks to Senator "Hiccup" Kennedy) to note allow a vote on. Are you telling me that by a 2-1 margin, these voters would blame Republicans...

Any drug bill better than none? July 7, 2003 BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST As Congress reconvenes this week, conservatives are pushing a scenario that makes the best of inevitable prescription drug subsidies: The Senate-House conference would retain the House bill's market elements. That would collapse the Senate's big bipartisan majority, perhaps producing a 50-50 tie to be broken by Vice President Dick Cheney. There might be, however, a surprising obstacle: George W. Bush. The White House has made clear the president will sign any prescription drug bill arriving from Capitol Hill. Bush thereby has removed himself as a player...

<p>WASHINGTON -- Legislation moving through Congress could save California more than $1 billion annually in paying for prescription drugs for its senior and disabled citizens on both Medicare and Medicaid, according to a study released today.</p> <p>The legislation -- sponsored by Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., and backed by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Bakersfield -- could also give California the opportunity to avoid severe cuts in other Medicaid services for children and parents, said the Commonwealth Fund of New York, a private health policy think-tank.</p>