Rep. Jo Ann Emerson gets the joke

To the editor:

I read "State chamber criticizes drug imports," and I am amazed so many people don't get the joke. At least U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson gets the joke.

The joke is the promise that the Medicare prescription-drug law will help seniors without some serious reforms in the health-care system and the willingness of Congress to step up to the plate and fix it.

The Medicare Modernization Act will break the bank and does nothing to lower the price of prescription drugs. In fact, the federal government is prohibited from negotiating the best price. The government's take -- leave it up to the free-market system -- is that if Congress gets involved in the pricing of drugs, that is somehow price control. What free-market system exists in health care today? There isn't one. A free market is when you go to the car dealer who makes you the best deal, usually as a result of negotiation. In health care, you are at the mercy of an insurance company. When was the last time anyone negotiated a price for a prescription drug? All the negotiating is done behind your back, and the folks benefiting are not the ones paying the premiums.

What about safety? Lipitor is of the top-selling drugs in the country. It's manufactured in Ireland. Many drugs sold in the United States are manufactured in other countries. Is there a safety problem?

Thanks, Representative Emerson, for standing up for the little guy. Keep up the good work.

PATRICK NAEGER, Perryville, Mo.