A bill that would let the US government negotiate prices for Medicare drugs stalled in the Senate this morning when Republican opponents blocked a vote on the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fell five votes short of the 60 needed to end a Republican filibuster and move to a vote on the bill. A filibuster is a tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches. Democrats vow not to give up.

Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican who has a leadership position in the Senate and serves on the committee that has oversight on Medicare, told reporters that lawmakers “chose access over restriction…Do you want legislation passed that bankrupts drug companies?” He says the measure could’ve discouraged drugmakers from developing new drugs.

Democrats predicted that Republican lawmakers would feel pressure from elderly Americans who face a steady rise in their monthly medicine bills. “This is not the end of the debate,” says Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat.

Wyden said supporters of the bill actually had about 58 votes in favor of allowing the government to negotiate drug prices. He said the additional three votes would come from Democrat Tim Johnson of South Dakota, who has been hospitalized since mid-December for a brain hemorrhage; Reid, who switched his vote at the end so that he could bring the bill up again; and Republican John McCain of Arizona.

Olympia Snowe of Maine, one of six Republicans who joined Democrats in trying to end debate on the bill, told reporters that two or three other Republican votes may also be in play.

“Drug industry profits have soared as they take advantage of legislation that is unfairly tilted toward company bottom lines, not seniors’ health. It’s time for Congress to put the needs of seniors first,” Democrat Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said.

After the vote, Max Baucus, D-Mont., who managed the bill on the floor, criticized Republican opponents. “It’s beyond me why the Senate would not choose to stand up for seniors,” Baucus said in a statement. “Concerns about a bill from the House should not frighten Senators into silence on an issue this important.”

Baucus was referring to a tougher House bill (HR 4) that would require the government to negotiate Medicare drug prices. If the Senate bill had passed, the plan was to move it into conference with the House legislation and end up with a stronger measure. The White House opposes both versions.

Further reading…
Reuters;
Congressional Quarterly (subscription required);
The Senate bill.[tags]Medicare[/tags]