Big Pharma's Scare Tactics Exposed

You've probably seen the misleading ads and billboards from the opponents* of Prop. 61, claiming that The California Drug Relief Act of 2016 will increase prescription drug costs for veterans. VoteVets.org -- a 400,000 member-strong veterans' advocacy organization and a supporter of Prop. 61 -- put out the information we're posting below to set the record straight on what the proposition will mean for veterans.

*The campaign in opposition to Prop. 61 is funded by Merck, Pfizer, and other companies -- to date, Big Pharma has pumped $100 million into the campaign.

For more information on Prop. 61, visit the YesOn61 website.

Despite Pharma Lies, Proposition 61 Is No Threat to Veterans

Sacramento, CA -- In support of "Yes on Prop. 61," VoteVets.org, the largest progressive veterans group in America, representing over 400,000 veterans, military families and civilian supporters, published this flyer today in response to the outright lies being told by the "No on 61" campaign, in the pay of Big Pharma.

In a statement, Steve Dunwoody, Iraq War Veteran and the Senior Advisor of VoteVets.org for California said "People need to see beyond the deception of those saying it will hurt Veterans. It won't."

Here's the truth:

1. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays the lowest drug prices of any government agency not because of the drug companies' goodwill, or as a gesture of honor by them for veterans' service, but because federal law requires deep discounts in drugs sold to DVA. In addition, federal law also limits drug price increases to DVA to no more than the consumer price index (CPI) -- a rate less than 1% last year. It is a flat-out lie for Pharma to claim that they can just raise prices at will to DVA if 61 passes.
2. Regardless of how much DVA pays for any particular drug, the amount of money an individual veteran may have to pay out of pocket in a co-pay for a prescription drug is in no way dependent on that drug's underlying price. A price increase will not affect how much a veteran pays. The level of benefits, and the amount of any co-pays or out of pocket costs depends on the priority classification of the veteran.
3. Third, it is important to understand that only nine million of the nation's 22 million veterans receive their healthcare through the DVA -- and thus benefit in any way from the lower drug prices DVA pays. A large majority of veterans are therefore subject to the same exorbitant drug prices everyone else pays, and are not benefited by the lower DVA prices.

Not only will veterans not be hurt by Prop . 61, most veterans stand to benefit from lower drug prices overall, regardless of what DVA pays.

"Despite Big Pharma, pouring millions of dollars into convincing many of my former brothers and sisters in arms, that this is bad for Vets, we're winning this fight because millions of Californians are fed up with the Big Pharma lies and deception preventing us from having the change we need to value lives over profits. That's not the kind of country we as Veterans defended overseas, and we're not going to defend profiteering practices like that here," Dunwoody said.

Published October 7th, 2016

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