Did Tauzin Negotiate Lucrative Job With Pharmaceutical Lobbying Group While Crafting Industry-Friendly Medicare Drug Bill?
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Public Citizen today called for an investigation into whether U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La.), who had a key role in writing the Medicare prescription drug law, broke House ethics rules when negotiating a lucrative job with the drug industry’s top lobbying group. Tauzin has received an offer to represent the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the drug industry’s main lobbying group, which was heavily involved in the crafting of recently passed legislation to create a prescription drug benefit under Medicare. The legislation contains key provisions beneficial to the drug industry; it subsidizes private insurers to provide prescription drug coverage to seniors – thereby increasing demand for drugs, bars the Medicare administrator from bargaining for lower drug prices and effectively prohibits the reimportation of lower-priced drugs from Canada. In a letter to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, Public Citizen asked officials
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