Drug Lobbyist: Deal Struck With White House on Health Care Reform

Ria Misra

Contributor

Posted:

08/5/09

In a surprising reversal, the chief lobbyist for the drug industry has told the Los Angeles Times his industry will support President Obama's health care reform and discount $80 billion in government drug costs in exchange for Obama's pledge not to interfere with Medicare drug pricing. Says the Times:

"He (lobbyist Billy Tauzin) says he eventually secured an agreement that the administration wouldn't try to overturn the very Medicare drug policy that Obama had criticized on the campaign trail. 'The White House blessed it,' Tauzin said. At the same time, Tauzin said the industry he represents was offering political and financial support for the president's health care initiative, a remarkable shift considering that drug companies vigorously opposed a national overhaul the last time it was proposed, when Bill Clinton was president."

Tauzin also stated that the health care plan would not include governmental negotiation on prices of Medicare drugs. The White House told the Times that Tauzin had been in discussions with officials, but it had no comment on whether any agreement had been struck on Medicare policy.

The drug industry's shift is evident in the advertising on health care reform.

The last time, an ad featuring "Harry" and "Louise" at their kitchen table, worrying about their coverage, struck a chord with voters fearful of the government taking a hand in health care. The ad was funded by a lobbyist group for the insurance industry, Health Insurance Association of America.

Well, Harry and Louise are back at their kitchen table and on your television screen, and again the commercial is funded by a lobbyist group -- Tauzin's Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. This time around, though, the couple supports government health care reform.