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Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Monitoring

By Jeralyn, Section Legislation
Posted on Sat Aug 13, 2005 at 03:29:01 PM EST
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Wow, how did this one slip through:

President Bush signed into law a bill to create electronic monitoring programs to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs in all 50 states.

The new law creates a grant program for states to create databases and enhance existing ones in hopes of ending the practice of "doctor shopping" by drug abusers seeking multiple prescriptions. It would authorize $60 million for the program through fiscal 2010.

The bill, signed late Thursday at the president's Crawford, Texas, ranch, was sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield, a Republican representing Kentucky's 1st District.

Now we know what the President meant by a "working vacation" - working hard at eviscerating more of our privacy rights.

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    • Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Monitoring | 13 comments (13 topical)
    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    Congressman Frank Pallone of New Jersey backs this bill, as well.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#2)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    et al - Well, you guys didn't want him to be on vacation.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#3)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    It is called the Rush Limbaugh protection act.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#4)
    by wishful on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    Sheesh, can't Bush just wait a little while for his programs to kick in that already address this problem? You know, the ones where the new "prescription drug bemefit for the elderly and disabled" actually make it as unaffordably expensive for most middle and working class folks on Medicare to get their meds; Medicaid cuts; increased employment at low wages and decreased employment at living wages; dumbed down public education; poor VA benefits for our disabled soldiers, of which his policies are producing a seemingly endless supply; reduction in help for the poor with energy expenses; ...what am I leaving out? With all of these new, improved republican policies enacted, soon enough there won't be many citizens at all that can afford to see even one doctor and get one prescription, let alone doctor shopping for multiple prescriptions. And just think of the extra savings of not having to enact, implement, and enforce such silly legislation, as well as not having to follow through with paying for all the resultant incarceration costs.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    Signing bills is not work. EXPLAINING His policies is work. READING his terrorism warnings is work. LEARNING the names of the kids he kills, and GOING to their funerals (still not one) is work. This guy doesn't work, and that's because he is LAZY. Not that he doesn't lavish attention on his perfect, divine body. Narcissism is not work for the Butcher of Crawford.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#6)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    wishul writes:
    You know, the ones where the new "prescription drug bemefit for the elderly and disabled" actually make it as unaffordably expensive for most middle and working class folks on Medicare to get their meds;
    That is pure nonsense. First of all, there is no current Medicare RX insurance. The one starting 1/1/06 costs $73.00 a month. I'm one of the fortunate few to have private coverage, but it costs me over $200 a month for me and my spouse, plus it has some real zappers for co-pays. Helps to know what your b*tching about, eh wishful?

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#7)
    by wishful on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    Helps to know what your b*tching about, eh wishful?
    PPJ, I did try to understand the actual prescription coverage in our new law, but it still isn't clear. I am not stoopid either@%#! It is disjointed and complex, with different gaps in coverage depending on so many variables for different size gaps and restoration of different percentages of coverage after X number of dollars per month and quarter and year depending also on category of drug and one's annual income (including or excluning dividends and interest?), etc. It is difficult to know if this is a better deal than a fairly typical (not inexpensive as you mention) drug plan, but that probably also depends on the nature of your known illness and your anticipated illnesses and whether the treatments are old enough to require just generics, but not too old that they are now not covered over-the-counter but still pricey, or very new and no generic is available...whew. And what are the rules regarding changing from one plan to another depending on your actual changing health needs? Are you locked in by your choices forever, for a specific time period, or if your health status changes? Maybe you know, and if so, maybe you can explain it. I do agree with you that it helps to know what you are, um, talking about. Can't wait for your explanation. Hope you are good enough at this that maybe your info can be put into a decision-making brochure for the Medicare elderly and disabled beneficiaries so informed decisions can be made by all. However, maybe we should wait for an appropriate thread, since this is such a tiny part of my overall sense of the folly of Bush's new prescription monitoring bill.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#8)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    wishful – I agree that we should have a thread on national healthcare, a subject that has long been dear to my heart. TL – I beg your indulgence. There is no need to let wishful spread his inaccurate information. I will be brief. If you are a member of AARP, they have sent you a full package. It is not complex. You sign up for RX insurance, pay the $37 each month. You pay a $250.00 deductible. After that the plan pays 75% of your RX's up to $2000. (You have paid $500 out of pocket.) You pay the next $850.00 After that you pay 5% and the plan pays 95%. If you are paying $400 a month in RX, or $4800 a year, you will now pay about $1850 a year, or $150 a month. That is a huge savings for people on a fixed income, and who may now actually be able to cool and heat their homes to a livable temperature. There is a downside. Cat and dog food sales are expected to decline. And who did this? The "Progressive Demos?" Hell no. The Repubs. Now the Democtratic I was a member of would never have fought the Repubs the way these Demos did.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#9)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:18 PM EST
    I wonder what HHS does with the info when they receive reports of doctor-shopping. How many prescriptions trigger a report to HHS? Just how are they planning to deal with the so-called doctor shoppers? Who benefits from this? Is it worth $60 million? Do we have better uses for that money? Is it just another way to intimidate citizens by making even more of them criminals? You're right. How did this slip by?

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#10)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:19 PM EST
    Well, they won't have to worry too much about seniors and their rampant abuse of benzodiazepines (xanax, valium, etc) since the govt. won't pay for those drugs anymore. Great job of keeping govt. out of our lives. Oh, I forgot, this is an enforcement issue. And we know how much Our Pet Chimp just LOVES to enforce things. I've got a halogen light I'd like to enforce right up his A**.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#11)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:19 PM EST
    aw writes:
    You're right. How did this slip by?
    Maybe because the Left was too busy protesting the war?

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:20 PM EST
    Dark Avenger- Nice Fable....amazing that Bierce he was able to tell the future 100 years ago. The original fable from Aesop (7th cent BC.) is perhaps, a better wake up call for PPJ whose wish for a 'real leader' has already been granted.

    Re: Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Mo (none / 0) (#14)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:21 PM EST
    Just what we need, another govt. database containing personal information that is no one's business except you and your doctor. I'll have to ask my reefer man if he won't mind carrying antibiotics and painkillers so I can keep my personal business personal.

    Bush Signs Bill for Electronic Prescription Monitoring | 13 comments (13 topical)