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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 |
Lott: For many years, I’ve tried to tell pharmaceutical companies that rising drug costs are a problem which will one day reach a boiling point. Today, we are near that point. Soon, if drug costs continue to skyrocket, Congress will be compelled to step in, and, as with so many other examples of massive government intervention in the private sector, it will likely be a socialist-styled failure. For instance, we could see price controls implemented, much like those initiated during the Nixon Administration. Ultimately those price controls were a flop, but there are some in Congress feeling the pressure to try something, even this. In fact, this year we’ve already seen Congress compelled to pass bad healthcare policy, Medicare prescription drug benefit that will costs trillions of dollars - that’s right: trillions - providing taxpayer-funded drugs, not to just poor seniors who need it, but even to wealthy seniors who don’t. It’s going to drain taxpayers and encourage Medicare abuse by individuals and by health care providers. I say to pharmaceutical executives, hospital administrators and, indeed, all healthcare-related professionals that another proposed government takeover of the entire healthcare system, similar to that tried by Hillary Clinton, isn’t off the table, either. Many Americans are legitimately asking why a triumvirate of healthcare, health insurance and drug costs all seem out of control. They want to know who is responsible for these high prices. Mrs. Clinton’s plan proved to be unpopular in 1993, and rightfully so. Yet, if drug and other health care costs continue to rise, a new version of “Hillarycare” may come to the table again - this time with more public support fueled by anger, fair or unfair, at pharmaceutical companies and all things related to healthcare. America’s pharmaceutical companies are great institutions which have helped make American standards of healthcare second to none, giving us miracle drugs that have made many dreaded diseases eithe [Response was truncated to maximum response length of 2000 characters.]
Source: Candidate Website Date: 10/07/2006 |
| Medicare Prescription Drug Plans |
Lott: No Response |
| Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program for Seniors |
Lott: No Response |
| Safety of Prescription Drugs |
Lott: No Response |
| Importing Prescription Drugs from Canada |
Lott: The huge cost of prescription drugs is a growing problem for many Americans, especially seniors. I can no longer explain to my 90-year-old mother why her medications cost more than the same drugs from other countries. That’s why I’ve changed my position on the reimportation of prescription drugs, and I’m telling pharmaceutical companies to address the overall rising cost of their products or the federal government will, and it won’t be pretty. I’ve traditionally opposed accessing cheaper prescription drugs from nations like Canada and Mexico for several reasons. Those reasons remain valid, including concerns that these drugs may be tampered with, that they may be fake, and that there’s no realistic way to reinspect them and guarantee safety. Yet, after a lot of thought, I believe seniors and others with large drug bills should be allowed to take that risk and save their money by purchasing medication from abroad. It’s much like eating a cheeseburger. We all know cheeseburgers may make us fat and unhealthy, but if an individual wants to take that risk, he or she can. So, if someone wants to travel to Canada or Mexico to obtain much needed pharmaceuticals, or if an individual wants to order them, the federal government shouldn’t stand in the way of their cost savings. With drug prices so high, I’m sure that more and more Americans will probably determine that getting medicine from outside the U.S. is worth a small risk, and we’ll see more drug reimportation.
Source: Candidate Website Date: 10/07/2006 |
| Safety of Imported Drugs |
Lott: No Response |
| Increasing Prescription Drug Competition |
Lott: No Response |
| Negotiating Pharmaceutical Prices |
Lott: No Response |
| Bringing Generic Drugs on the Market Sooner |
Lott: No Response |
| Medicare Beneficiaries without Prescription-drug Coverage |
Lott: No Response |
| Prescription Drug Marketing |
Lott: No Response |
| Regulating Drug Advertising, Like Cigarettes and Alcohol |
Lott: No Response |