The prescription-drug industry started turning its back on congressional Republicans shortly after the GOP lost its hold on Congress in 2006, spending time and money in the interim to woo Democrats at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. That lovefest culminated a few months ago when PhRMA agreed to back the president's health care push in exchange for industry protections under the resulting overhaul.
On Monday, House Republican Leader John Boehner delivered his former GOP colleague - and now PhRMA CEO - Billy Tauzin a big "I-told-ya'-so."
In a scathing, borderline condescending, "dear colleague," Boehner urged Tauzin to unwind PhRMA's deal with President Barack Obama and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to support health care legislation in exchange for profit protection under rules established in the controversial 2003 precription-drug bill.
"Appeasment rarely works in conflict resolution," Boehner said in the letter. "This is as true in the arena of policymaking as it is in schoolyards across America. When a bully asks for your lunch money, you may have no choice but to fork it over. But cutting a deal with the bully is a different story, particularly if the 'deal' means helping him steal others' money as the price of protecting your own."
Drugmakers agreed to find tens of billions in savings in order to trim the federal government's precription-drug tab under Medicare in exchange for other protections, like allowing the industry to preserve a lucrative rebate structure under Medicare Part D and the White House's agreement to oppose any move to force the government import lower-priced drugs from Canada. The industry also committed to spend $150 million to advertise in support of health care reform - although it has not yet endorsed any of the four bills to pass out of committee. - Politico Story
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