AstraZeneca’s Tony Zook ran into a lovefest the other day. The Wilmington Rotary Club serenaded the drugmaker’s US ceo with a song they warbled to the tune of Mary Poppins’ “A Spoonful of Sugar” at a luncheon Thursday. But perhaps the lyrics should have been ‘a big bucket of money helps the conflicted professor get paid.’

Speaking to more than 150 members of the service club, Zook touted AstraZeneca’s efforts to boost coverage for the uninsured during the luncheon at Hotel du Pont, located near AZ’s US headquarters. He noted AZ provided more than $400,000 worth of free meds in Delaware last year through patient assistance programs, and helped launch a public-private program aimed at 105,000 state residents who lack health insurance find health care services, The Wilmingon News-Journal writes.

During a question-and-answer session, one woman asked Zook whether the US could learn anything from health care systems in other countries. He replied that while other systems may “look good on paper,” governments often limit access to care by refusing to pay for products or services. “I don’t believe there’s a better health care system in the world than right here in the United States.” Yes, in other words, prices AZ can charge aren’t restricted. But he didn’t quite put it that way.

Another questioner related a story about his insurer swapped his wife’s Nexium prescription for a cheaper alternative that didn’t work as well. “Are they trying to keep profits out of your pockets?” the man asked Zook. The diplomatic AstraZeneca exec responded by saying he thinks insurers have good intentions, but “we would strongly disagree that people should be denied access to a product like Nexium.” Well, what did you expect him to say? A big glass of water, indeed.

Hat tip to PharmaGossip