Pharma welcome for Senate healthcare reform vote
pharmafile | January 6, 2010 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Obama, Senate, US healthcare
Pharma manufacturers have welcomed the passing of the US Senate’s healthcare reform bill on Christmas Eve.
Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), applauded the Senate bill calling it “the best blueprint for reform”.
Reform of the privately-run health insurance system in the US is one of the hooks on which President Barack Obama’s reputation hangs.
“We are now finally poised to deliver on the promise of real, meaningful health insurance reform,” he said.
“If passed, this will be the most important piece of social legislation since the Social Security Act passed in the 1930s.”
The Senate voted on a watered-down version of the radical restructures that have been mooted over the past year or so.
Its bill does give most US citizens health insurance and bans private insurers from refusing to provide insurance because applicants have pre-existing medical conditions.
But any comparison with the NHS is misleading, since the Senate bill contains no provision for government-managed healthcare – the so-called “public option”.
However, this is far from the end of the road: the Senate bill has to be married up with the bill on the same issue from the House of Representatives, passed in November, before it can be made law.
Perhaps the biggest sticking point will be that the House bill still includes a government-run health insurance plan.
Republicans have been particularly vocal in their fears of a federal “takeover” of the sector and pharma manufacturers are thought to be wary of the government being in competition with private insurance companies.
“We remain convinced that comprehensive health care reform, if done in a smart way, will benefit patients, our economy and the future of our nation,” Johnson said.
The whole debate over a “socialised” health system has been bitter.
Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s suggestion that it would lead to “death panels” deciding whether people should be given treatment was last month voted the biggest political lie of 2009 by a US fact-checking website.
The Senate voting split reflected broad political disagreement on the issue, with Republicans voting against the bill and Democrats for it.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the Senate vote brought the US “closer to providing quality, affordable health insurance to every American”.
“We will soon produce a final bill that is founded on the core principles of health insurance reform,” she added.
Pelosi listed these as: affordability for the middle class, security for old people, reduction of the government’s financial deficit and accountability for the insurance industry.
“I look forward to working with Members of the House, the Senate, and President Obama to reconcile our bills and send the final legislation to the President’s desk as soon as possible,” she concluded.
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