News Revealing Update
posted by on January 11 at 17:20 PM
I was jazzed about a bill Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-36, Seattle) was shopping last year that would have required drug companies to reveal—on a state database— the gifts they give healthcare providers. The intent was to let patients know that their doctor may not be making objective prescriptions and also to intimidate pharmaceutical companies out of this crass practice.
(I actually think a better approach would be to force healthcare providers to disclose the information.)
The bill died, but Kohl-Welles promised to bring it back this year. I didn’t see it listed this morning when I checked the pre-filed bills list for the 2008 session (which starts on Monday), so I called her office to ask what was up.
They said they were filing the bill this afternoon, which they did.
It is so seldom that Anyone "fills the bill"... we should cheer them on (or go out & look for more herring...)
chow ^..^
Semi-enemy of SLOG(?) Jean Godden should weigh in on this, she had some personal experience in recent times with being steered onto expensive useless medication, when the old cheap generic stuff worked better for her. She was quite vocal, and did not hide her indignation. Was in the local papers.
See:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/sick1.html
to what level of detail must these gifts be disclosed? pads of paper, ballpoint pens, refrigerator magnets? what if we split a sub sandwich and a bag of chips?
SO it's big rpogressive reform if we require drug companies bribing doctors to disclose the gift somewhere.
Why not fucking ban the bribery in the first place?
No gifts from drug companies to those in a position to recommend their products.
No gifts from lobbyists to politicians of any nature.
No contributions to any city council member by ANY developer/lawery/realtor for developers likely to have permit or zoning issue before the city or council.
No gifts from lawyers to the judges campaigns.
Blunt, clear simple rules are better.
A ptient is lying in the hhospital bed sick. Twenty doctors come in the room and prescribe a shitload of medicationsl. The patient has no fucking ability to go look up the gifst on a database and ask the doctors, "hey you guys, can I substitute another drug?"
This whole market choice theory of health care is flawed. It is a natural monopoly and everything in it needs "hard" regulation, not "soft," bribery-is-OK-if-on-a-database, regulation.
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