LTE: Lower prescription drug prices

In a 'Letter to the Editor" (LTE) from some time last week, because I am way behind in this, in the SI Advance, Marie from Great Kills writes in about the shadiness of drug companies and why we are paying so much for prescription drugs;

Who will finally stand up for us against the powerful drug industry?

First, they thwarted the will of the American people by stopping Congress from allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices.

Now we read (April 25: "Most docs let drug-makers buy them food") that we really don't know what's being exchanged between drug companies and doctors. Are gifts resulting in all of us paying more for fancy, new, high-cost drugs when generics that work just as well are available?

You can read the rest of Marie's letter here. Following up on this thought, when the AARP sent out questionaires to Congressional candidates in 2006 they asked "Will you support or oppose allowing Medicare to use its bargaining power to negotiate lower prices for needed prescription drugs?" Maybe not surprising Rep. Vito Fossella refused to answer. We believe he was too busy supporting the troops to waste time on frivolous questionnaires asking whether we should make medicine affordable to our grand parents. The guy has a poster saying he supports the troops isn't that enough AARP?