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American Morning

Minding Your Business: Medicaid's 'Do not Prescribe' List

Aired June 16, 2003 - 07:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Here is Andy Serwer talking about Medicaid right now, who is prescribing what to whom.
How are you, Andy? Welcome back, by the way.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I'm fine. Thank you. Good to see you guys as well.

Yes, we're talking Medicaid here this morning; $23 billion a year spent. This is, of course, a government program for the poor; $23 billion a year spent on prescription drugs. And now, the states are fighting back, because they're tired of spending hundreds of millions of dollars.

A couple of years ago three states had lists of drugs that doctors were not allowed to prescribe because they're too expensive. Now, 21 states have lists of drugs doctors just say we're not going to give you because poor people, you're not worth it. Is that what they're saying? It could be what they're saying.

Anyway, Florida says they're saving $200 million. Michigan says they're saving $45 million. New York, which has more money on Medicaid than any other state, says they could save $400 million.

Let's look at some of the drugs that are on the verboten list, OK? If you're on Medicaid and you're in these states, don't even ask your doctor to get these drugs, you won't get them: Prevacid, Nexium...

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How can they do that?

SERWER: Those are acid reflux drugs, Jack, and Celebrex and Vioxx are for arthritis. Well, what they're trying to do is they're trying to prescribe drugs that they say do the same thing but cost less. But we know they might not.

HEMMER: Maybe we should ask the doctor.

SERWER: Well, we were talking about that, Sanjay and I were talking about that earlier, and he said, you know, they...

CAFFERTY: It sounds like somebody ought to file a big old lawsuit about...

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Don't even give them -- don't even tell them that. They will.

HEMMER: Is your arm still asleep, by the way?

CAFFERTY: No, I'm awake now.

HEMMER: In a moment here, will the Hulk turn his film rivals green with envy? "90-Second Pop" is next here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Thank you, Andy. Welcome back again.

SERWER: Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired June 16, 2003 - 07:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Here is Andy Serwer talking about Medicaid right now, who is prescribing what to whom.
How are you, Andy? Welcome back, by the way.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I'm fine. Thank you. Good to see you guys as well.

Yes, we're talking Medicaid here this morning; $23 billion a year spent. This is, of course, a government program for the poor; $23 billion a year spent on prescription drugs. And now, the states are fighting back, because they're tired of spending hundreds of millions of dollars.

A couple of years ago three states had lists of drugs that doctors were not allowed to prescribe because they're too expensive. Now, 21 states have lists of drugs doctors just say we're not going to give you because poor people, you're not worth it. Is that what they're saying? It could be what they're saying.

Anyway, Florida says they're saving $200 million. Michigan says they're saving $45 million. New York, which has more money on Medicaid than any other state, says they could save $400 million.

Let's look at some of the drugs that are on the verboten list, OK? If you're on Medicaid and you're in these states, don't even ask your doctor to get these drugs, you won't get them: Prevacid, Nexium...

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How can they do that?

SERWER: Those are acid reflux drugs, Jack, and Celebrex and Vioxx are for arthritis. Well, what they're trying to do is they're trying to prescribe drugs that they say do the same thing but cost less. But we know they might not.

HEMMER: Maybe we should ask the doctor.

SERWER: Well, we were talking about that, Sanjay and I were talking about that earlier, and he said, you know, they...

CAFFERTY: It sounds like somebody ought to file a big old lawsuit about...

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Don't even give them -- don't even tell them that. They will.

HEMMER: Is your arm still asleep, by the way?

CAFFERTY: No, I'm awake now.

HEMMER: In a moment here, will the Hulk turn his film rivals green with envy? "90-Second Pop" is next here on AMERICAN MORNING.

Thank you, Andy. Welcome back again.

SERWER: Yes.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.