Senators Used the Gun Control Bill to Hide Language Shielding Drug Middlemen from an Anti-Kickback Law

By
Dan Zimmerman
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45

Many Americans across the political spectrum are clamoring for federal action on guns in the wake of a mass shooting at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, a Buffalo, N.Y., grocery store and hundreds of other places.

But buried in a bipartisan compromise hashed out by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday is an unrelated provision they might not be so happy about. Apropos of nothing, the gun bill would enhance the exemption drug middlemen working with Medicare have from the federal “Anti-Kickback Statute.” 

That means, in this era of soaring costs, Senate negotiators decided to further insulate the nation’s largest health care companies from a federal law against accepting “any kickback, bribe, or rebate” — using a bill that’s supposedly about regulating guns. 

The offices of the two lead negotiators, Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. 

— Marty Schladen in Deep inside the gun bill: a break for prescription drug middlemen

 

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45 COMMENTS

      • You are correct Officer Bill. Liquid water is not itself wet.

        Wetness is the ability of a liquid to adhere to the surface of a solid. So saying something is wet with water is saying the water is ‘sticking’ (adhering) to the surface of a material.

    • “Two-thirds in new poll favor ‘stricter gun control laws’”

      Yep. They always do….until specifics are discussed. Then, support begins to slide.

      Survey results are always dependent upon the assumptions/agenda behind the questions. And the engagement of the surveyed in current affairs. My BIL still believes Terry McCauliff was correct in saying that 93 million people are killed every year by guns.

      • Exactly. Similar with abortion. The left can make somewhat legitimate claims that 81% (or whatever) of voters approve of abortion. However, when you pry a little deeper, less than 15% approve of abortion on demand up to delivery date. Even fewer approve of post-partum abortion, which the craziest Democrats are advocating for.

        Never trust a poll unless you have the time to really dig into it.

    • What the hell has happened to The Hill, I looked at their page earlier and they are running yesterdays garbage “testimony” from the Jan 6th Clown show as the gospel… They used to be at least objectively Right leaning.

      • The thing that I find most significant about that “bomb shell” testimony is that, other than character assassination of Trump, nothing she said amounted to a crime or conspiracy to commit a crime–but none of those breathless reporters seemed to notice.

        • And MOST of them missed the part where people who were actually IN the vehicle at the time have said “uhh-uhh, nope, didn’t happen and OFFERED to testify without whatever immunity deal they made that little girl to allow her to lie to Congress under oath.

    • Ask the question correctly, “To thirds of people agree that only those who are financially and mentally fit, should be allowed to have children” – Eugenics = The Holocaust

      Ask the question correctly, “Should we mandate that healthy people be made to work in exchange for food and other benefits” – Servitude = Slavery

      What this pole really shows is Left had a little success getting a little gun control and they are in the process of paving the way for even more. They are just waiting, fingers crossed, for more bodies to drop. The more dead kids, all the better to advance their political agenda.

    • WHY would you bother (then POST) BS from Politico? Next planning to tell us that NY Times is your “news” source?

    • If you use their method and verbiage and do the math…55% of Americans DO NOT WANT GUN CONTROL. over half.

      But the poll is bs anyway. Its limited to 2,004 registered voters in their sample size and that excludes about 90 % of other demographics (collectively). Plus there sample size is too small to be statistically significant. So its a bit of a stretch to say this represents “Americans”

      • “Plus there sample size is too small to be statistically significant.”

        That might not be completely accurate. Establishing “valid” sampling is not pure numbers. For instance, an online survey validity check would look at the desired confidence level, and the margin of error. Using a table, or calculator, one would learn that if the survey desires 95% confidence, and a margin of error of 1%, the valid sample size would be 9593 for a data set (population) of 8,000,000.

        For a data set of 2004, the valid sample would be 1659. The determination of the base population to be used is not subject to mathematical equations, but survey bias. Math enters after that.

        Simply looking at a need to reach 95% confidence, and 1% margin of error, the chart would line up at a sample size of 2000.
        (https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/sample-size-calculator/)

        Without knowing all the criteria considered/rejected, it is impossible to evaluate the validity of the result.

  5. Of course they did.
    Never let a crisis go to waste A.K.A. grab the cash when you can.
    Hopefully the next “insurrection” leaves the capitol a smoldering ruin of ash gently floating on the swamp that is DC.

    • Ah yes Medicare…heading to my Medicare office this morning. Where Dr. Mohammed(real name)is going to harass me about getting tests I don’t need & drugs with worse side effects than the condition I have. Kickbacks? Fer sure. Corrupt? Yep. I dunno if other providers are better. Anywho Darrin Bailey(void the FOID)overwhelmingly won the republican primary for ILL annoy governor. Unabashedly Pro-gun & pro-baby. Yay!

      • IT’s good to hear from a ‘PROPER DOCTOR’ who’s far more qualified than his regular medicom to, prescribe drugs. So exactly WHAT drugs are you going to be prescribed? Or alternatively what DRUGS, without side effects, are YOU going to recommend?

        I do not know about Medical Practice in the USA but here in the UK each and every prescription has with it a description of KNOWN SIDE EFFECTS and reporting procedure for thoese side effects and recomment datioins as to do waht and when if they manifest themselves.

        If you, like me, take several medications they are also checked out for INTERACTIVITY by a suitably qualified PHARMACIST or DOCTOR.

        Having said that ALL medications that cause any kind of PHYSIOLOGICAL reaction will have at least some side effects however minor. I take no less than SIX seperate medications on repeat prescription. Some are essential and a couple precautionary and they are checked out at least twice a year. Because the UK National Health Service [NHS is strictly not-for-profit there is no point in fiddling the books. Oh I forgot so is MEDICARE.

        By the way the US Taxpayer pays MORE for MEDICARE than the UK does for the NHS. And of course is JUST as COMMIE & LIBERAL leaning as well.

      • Dont go to a doctor, theyll always find something wrong with you.
        Doctor: In the morning I want you to take two of these pills with a large glass of water.
        Four hours later I want you to take two pills with a large glass of water Four hours later I want you to take 3 of those pills with two large glasses water.
        Continue this for 4 months and we’ll see if your condition improves.
        ” So what’s wrong with me Doc?”
        Dr: – Your not drinking enough water.

  6. “That means, in this era of soaring costs, Senate negotiators decided to further insulate the nation’s largest health care companies from a federal law against accepting “any kickback, bribe, or rebate” — using a bill that’s supposedly about regulating guns. ”

    Why of course they did. Hidden through lobby groups and pacts, and other groups they establish, the ‘health care companies’ contribute millions to their campaigns and special interest. So yeah, “lets have a BS bill to ram through and down the throats of the American public with a distraction of ‘guns and death’ to capitalize on so no one will notice until its too late that we did this for the money”

  7. It would be nice to know excactly WHAT provisions of the proposed gun control legislation will effect the ‘Drugs Middlemen/?? I simply cannot see the point of making such a statement without giving at least an outline of the problem. All you have done so far is to make an unwarranted statement,. But there again this is a perfect example of the kind of wild statement that is designed to put people’s backs up without just cause. Of course it may well be correct but from the information given we will never bloody well know will we?? . SCARE MONGERING at it’s illiterate and ignorant WORST.
    We have it in the UK as well mainly from the LABOUR PARTY [or come to that from ANY PARTY ] in OPPOSITION

    • And that is why nobody gives a flying fuk about your concerns over OUR politics, seems to me you have enough problems with your own screwed up government to be wasting your time worrying about mine. If you had any knowledge of how the interweb works and you were not a lazy Brit you could have used the available information to find answers to any question you might have.
      Not that it should be of concern to you but this might clarify the situation for you.
      The gun bill would enhance the exemption drug middlemen working with Medicare have from the federal “Anti-Kickback” Statute. That exemption is addressed on page 55 of the “GUN BILL”. It would extend it from Jan. 1, 2026 to Jan. 1, 2027. And not one word of it pertains to YOU or anyone else outside the US.
      https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/23/deep-inside-the-gun-bill-a-break-for-prescription-drug-middlemen/

    • read the article linked

      I don’t care what you think from across the pond. This is our country, so keep out of our business. Your own country, the UK, is as screwed up as a soup sandwich, and collectively every day has more violent crime across the country than most of Europe, its the rape capital of Europe, and considering your country’s gun ban and population size there are more shootings victims daily across your country by criminals with guns than five occasional mass/school shootings here have and more criminals have guns than they do in the United States. You just haven’t heard about it yet because of the way your country does stats now.

    • I like you Albert, never mind them other guys.
      God bless you for your service in the United Kindom Royal Marine AirForce Army SpaceRangers.

  8. I am absolutely, undeniably, undoubtedly shocked, surprised, amazed and totally at a loss for words over this use of a bi-partisan Bill allegedly intended to promote “gun safety” as a ruse to enrichen drug companies. Has ANYTHING like this ever happened before?

  10. What a surprise!! Politicians slipping some spending or protections for big campaign donors into some completely unrelated bill. One would begin to think our politicians were not the honest public servants they claim to be.

    • I would honestly trust you with any secret I had,,,,, as long as it was whispered to you.

  12. Critics say that this exemption would create a loophole that could be exploited by drug companies to funnel kickbacks to doctors without having to disclose them. This, in turn, could lead to higher drug prices for consumers. pay someone to do my essay for me

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