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NRL News
Senate
Turns Back, For Now, Danger of On April 18, the United States Senate turned back, at least for the present, the looming danger that older Americans will be denied the right, if they choose, to spend their own money to get lifesaving innovative drugs under Medicare. An effort to cut off a pro-life filibuster, which was being led by Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Ia.), fell short of the 60 votes required for “cloture,” which would have brought S.3 up for a vote. Proposed by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D.-Mt.), S.3 would authorize government price-fixing for prescription drugs under Medicare. The Senate vote followed by several weeks passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of H.R. 4, a similar bill that would have mandated government price-fixing for Medicare prescription drugs. The National Right to Life Committee has repeatedly warned that such government limits on the right of older people to choose to purchase insurance plans that include new innovative drugs, would deny access to lifesaving medications to millions of senior citizens. Similar price-fixing actions in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care system have already denied veterans subject to it access to 81% of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 2000. (See page one of the March and April issues of NRL News.) However, the battle is far from over. Following the unsuccessful cloture vote, Senator Ron Wyden (D-Or.) warned, “We’ll have plenty of additional chances. This is not the end of the debate.” Indeed, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.), a supporter of the price-fixing measure, actually voted against cloture, not because he was in favor of the filibuster, but as a procedural maneuver. By voting against cloture, under Senate rules Reid is allowed to bring up the vote again whenever Reid feels he will have a better chance of success. Moreover, three senators were absent from the vote: Senator Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), who is recovering from a stroke, and Senators Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) and John McCain (R-Az), both Republican presidential candidates. Thus, the 55–42 tally, five votes short of the 60 needed for cloture, is somewhat misleading. Senators have heard from pro-life Americans, opposing the proposal. And it made a difference. “It is clear that the strong voice of pro-life Americans informing senators that this measure would be an unacceptable form of health care rationing played an important role in this significant victory,” said Burke Balch, JD, director of NRLC’s Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics. “Nevertheless, we must recognize we have won only a battle, and must remain vigilant in the ongoing struggle to protect the right to life of vulnerable older people and people with disabilities.” |