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Positions and Views on Other Issues where Information is Available: |
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| Prescription Drugs |
Positions and Views |
| Prescription Drugs, a General Statement |
Biden: No Response |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Plans |
Biden: No Response |
| Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program for Seniors |
Biden: Senator Biden fought for years to expand the Medicare program to cover prescription drugs with a plan that would provide valuable coverage, be easy to use, and affordable to most seniors. Senator Biden supports improving the plan by:
Allowing the federal government to directly negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, which could help lower drug prices for consumers.
Eliminating the benefit gap in coverage, otherwise known as the “donut hole.”
Speeding up availability of generic drugs.
Source: biden.senate.gov/issues Date: 04/22/2008 |
| Safety of Prescription Drugs |
Biden: No Response |
| Importing Prescription Drugs from Canada |
Biden: No Response |
| Safety of Imported Drugs |
Biden: No Response |
| Increasing Prescription Drug Competition |
Biden: No Response |
| Negotiating Pharmaceutical Prices |
Biden: The Medicare Part D prescription drug program was created in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Medicare covers more than 40 million seniors and disabled Americans who are projected to consume $1.8 trillion worth of prescription drugs over the next decade. However, instead of using the purchasing power of 40 million Americans to get the best prices possible for prescription drugs, the Medicare and Modernization Act of 2003 expressly forbids the federal government from interfering in drug negotiations between pharmaceutical companies and the numerous private insurers spread out across the country that offer Part D coverage. Simply put, this “noninterference clause” dilutes Medicare’s bargaining position. The federal government successfully uses its bulk purchasing power to keep costs low in the Veterans Administration health system—why not allow it to do the same for our nation’s seniors who rely on Medicare?
In order lower prescription drug prices in the Medicare Part D program, Joe Biden will remove the prohibition against the federal government negotiating prices for prescription drugs for enrollees in Medicare Part D to allow the federal government to use its bulk purchasing power to reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries.
Source: www.joebiden.com Date: 11/30/2007 |
| Bringing Generic Drugs on the Market Sooner |
Biden: Joe Biden has fought to prohibit an issuer of a Medicare supplemental policy, on the basis of genetic information, from denying or conditioning coverage, or discriminating in the pricing of the policy, including the adjustment rates, for an eligible individual.
Source: www.joebiden.com Date: 12/01/2007 |
| Medicare Beneficiaries without Prescription-drug Coverage |
Biden: No Response |
| Prescription Drug Marketing |
Biden: No Response |
| Regulating Drug Advertising, Like Cigarettes and Alcohol |
Biden: No Response |