The Beat Goes On

I do my part, I really do. Just finished (I hope) a little bitchy spat with a FB friend and ex-colleague — a knee-jerk Republican — who made the mistake of posting a health reform opinion instead of his usual sports-cum-family anecdotes.
Red flag, meet bull.
His source was actually a fairly good AP story about a new report detailing Medicare's estimated fraud loss and the administration's plans to fix it. After all, they have to, they're basing some of their funding on savings from a good anti-fraud program.
But his thinking apparently stopped with the scary headline Medicaire Paid $47 Billion In Suspect Claims and so, predictably, he's not so sure he wants "government health care."

Now this. "Drug Companies Increase Prices In Face Of Change." Surprise.

Even as drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation’s drug costs after the legislation takes effect, the industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years.

I noticed that the basic retail price of one of my drugs went up about $80 a month this year, and the other one jumped equally, but I'm in the donut hole now and paying about about $180/month for generics out of Canada, not yet available here for obvious reasons.

I suppose my friend and I could have a battle of scary headlines, but he's got four kids to get to bed, and besides, I'd cream him.