Under The Influence
60 Minutes' Steve Kroft Reports On Drug Lobbyists' Role in Passing Bill That Keeps Drug Prices High
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Play CBS Video Video Under The Influence Steve Kroft reports on how the pharmaceutical industry lobby influenced Congress to pass the Medicare prescription drug law, a night on the Hill one representative calls the "ugliest" he's ever seen.
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Video Kroft's Reporter's Notebook Only On The Web: Steve Kroft discusses his "60 Minutes" segment on the Medicare prescription drug bill and how the pharmaceutical lobby works in Washington.
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Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), left, and Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) offer a rare glimpse behind the scenes of Congress. Jones calls the lobbyist-induced frenzy to pass the Medicare prescription drug bill in the U.S. House of Representatives two years ago the "ugliest night" he has ever seen in politics. (CBS)
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"I mean, when you're pushing so hard for a bill that's controversial and you have to keep the machine open for three hours to get the one vote necessary to pass it, and then, within a matter of months you go to work for the industry that's gonna benefit from it, it does cause you some concern," says Burton.
They are not the only ones cynical about the decision.
"You push this bill through that produces a windfall for the drug companies. And then a short time later, you go to work for the drug lobby at a salary of $2 million. That doesn't look good," Kroft tells Tauzin.
"There was nothing I could've done in my life after leaving Congress that wouldn't have had — I didn't have some impact on in 25 years in Congress … If that looks bad to you, have at it," Tauzin says. "That's the truth."
In fairness to Tauzin and former Medicare chief Tom Scully, they weren't the only public officials involved with the prescription drug bill who later went to work for the pharmaceutical industry.
Just before the vote, Tauzin cited the people who had been most helpful in getting it passed. Among them:
In all, at least 15 congressional staffers, congressmen and federal officials left to go to work for the pharmaceutical industry, whose profits were increased by several billion dollars.
"I mean, they — they have unlimited resources. Unlimited," Burton says. "And when they push real hard to get something accomplished in the Congress of the United States, they can get it done."
In January, one of the first things the new Democratic House of Representatives did was to make it mandatory for Medicare to negotiate lower prices with the drug companies.
But a similar measure was blocked in the Senate, due in part to the efforts of the drug lobby.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 137 CommentsThe fact that mandated health insurance could be required when the private health care industry has experienced a HUGE reduction in marketshare over the course of the last ten years - amounts to a windfall, bail-out or an insurers wet-dream come true.
Their enemy is public opinion who wants either single-payer or public option (even ill-defined, saying just how fed up they are with private healthcare insurers). Most people are happy with their doctors. Private insurers do not practice medicine though. They are administrators.
"Healthcare insurance firms have become investment firms that happen to approve medical care once in awhile".
Nothing illustrates what is happening in Wa DC now like the MMA did. It's the same 'ol, same 'ol. Sixty Minutes would do well to update this story to the current reform process underway.
WORK BEING DONE BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6 A.M. THE HONORABLE ROBERT BYRD MADE EXACTLY THE SAME POINTS IN HIS OUTSTANDING BOOK ENTITLED "LOSING AMERICA". SENATOR BYRD'S EXCELLENT BOOK WAS A REALLY BIG REVELATION ABOUT EXACT METHODS LOBBYISTS USE TO GET LEGISLATION, WRITTEN BY THEM (THE LOBBIES), PASSED BY "BRIBING" MEMBERS OF CONGRESS (WITH JOBS OR JUNKETS TO NICE PLACES). YOUR EXPOSE WAS RIGHT UP THERE WITH SENATOR BYRD'S. KEEP IT UP! YOU MAY SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY YET FROM THE FASCIST TENDENCIES OF KING GEORGE (BUSH).
How do we regain control of our gorvernment? Do we need a revolution? I voted for Bush twice and I will vote no more!!!
The most disgusting character of all was former Congressman Billy Tauzin, R-La. I find it ironic that he gets to live because his government-provided insurance covered the medication he needed to save his life while he crafted legislation that will deny that to opportunity to others.
Who needs to worry about al-Qaeda when we have al-Congress?
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