Bernie Sanders stars in latest ad supporting drug pricing ballot measure

[Donkees]

Oct 4, 2016

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders hit California airwaves again this week, this time to promote Proposition 61, the November ballot initiative aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for state agencies.

In the 30-second ad, Sanders decries drug companies' "outrageous profits" and calls the measure a "very, very important step forward."

"It will be a real blow against this greedy industry that will reverberate all over America," Sanders says.

Proposition 61, which would tie drug prices for state agencies to what the Department of Veterans Affairs pays, is one of a couple dozen ballot measures nationwide that's been endorsed by Sanders and his newly formed group, Our Revolution.

The Yes on 61 campaign is being bankrolled by Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation and is supported by the California Nurses Assn. and AARP California.

It is opposed by drug companies, which have raised more than $87 million to defeat the measure, and by some veterans groups and the California Medical Assn.

Another ad featuring a Sanders speech that mentioned Proposition 61 previously ran online.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-sac-essential-politics-updates-bernie-sanders-stars-in-latest-ad-1475605024-htmlstory.html

[stopwastingmymoney]

1. There are tons of ads against this one already

Thank you to Bernie for clearing this one up for me, this ad should be very effective.

[chowder66]

2. I love Bernie but I have concerns

Why don't they extend it to the Medi-cal managed care services?

Will big pharma raise the costs for those not included in the State Agency programs. This only covers state agencies and Medi-cal managed services is exempted from this initiative.

Will big pharma sky-rocket the cost of certain drugs to reap the difference. And won't that affect all of us not covered by state agency plans? Just because people are not in these plans doesn't mean we wouldn't be hurting tremendously by this. If my blood pressure medicine goes past what it is now it would certainly hurt me. I can barely afford my health insurance as it is but I make too much to qualify for subsidies.

Prop 61 does not apply to 88% of californians (those not in the state programs). Do we pick up the tab?

While this may or may not help the state agencies (because this isn't clear based on not being able to actually know what the VA pays) the initiative states it would 'likely' benefit private health plan entities. That is no guarantee.
This is concerning because there is also no guarantee that private health plan 'entities' would try to implement this.

Why did the organization exempt themselves from this initiative they wrote and got on the ballot? The head of the organization that wrote this profits from selling prescription drugs but does't have to comply with this? This is concerning.

There is an argument that it could raise the prices on Vets ....and the rebuttal states it is an empty threat because Federal law requires discounts to vets. The pharma industry could still raise the prices and STILL give a discount. So I don't understand how that is an empty threat since it isn't clear that they can't do that.

I hate to say it but I am leaning NO. They need to come up with a better initiative.

my 2 cents