WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) released the following statement in response to Secretary Leavitt’s comments in Sunday’s New York Times: 

            “HHS Secretary Tommy Thomson endorsed it, the House and Senate have been clear, and the American people overwhelmingly support it, but instead of protecting the American people, Secretary Leavitt has once again put the pharmaceutical industry first,” said Emanuel.  “If Medicare directly negotiated with the pharmaceutical companies - like the Veterans Administration does, Sam’s Club does and foreign countries do – the potential savings would be enormous.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson wished Congress had given him the power to negotiate with drug manufacturers to secure lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries.  Thompson: “I would like to have had the opportunity to negotiate.” (National Public Radio: All Things Considered, “Analysis: Tommy Thompson Resigns as Health and Human Services Secretary,” December 3, 2004)

Health and Human Services Michael O. Leavitt Dismissed Proven Successes.  “In politics,” Mr. Leavitt said, “most specific issues like this are a disguise for a larger difference. Government negotiation of drug prices does not work unless you have a program completely run by the government. Democrats say they want the government to negotiate prices.  What they really want is government-run health care.” (New York Times, “Administration Opposes Democrats’ Plan for Negotiating Medicare Drug Prices,” by Robert Pear, November 13, 2006.)