Supporting the Troops Until It Costs the Special Interests Money

I haven't been reading PTSD Combat regularly in recent weeks. Ilona has been posting less frequently as she finishes up work on her forthcoming book, Moving a Nation to Care. When I checked in yesterday I found this post about Congress killing a requirement that drug manufacturers be required to offer prescription medications to military retirees (TRICAP) at the same discounts available to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Unlike those of us fortunate enough to obtain prescriptions through the VA, which has negotiated substantial discounts through high volume purchases, military retirees and the Defense Department which funds their medical care will pay full price. The entire story is here.

Apparently, using purchasing power and volume to obtain lower prices is a fine strategy for Wal-Mart but not for government. Congress specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower prices when it passed the prescription drug benefit program. I wonder how much longer the drug companies will tolerate the VA's assault on their profits.