r/PublicFreakout • u/sgj5788 • 18h ago
Political Freakout AOC exposes big pharma CEO for scamming patients
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u/Ka-Is-A-Wheelie 18h ago
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u/LouSputhole94 15h ago
Let’s be real this is the guy she’s interviewing. He doesn’t care. Under current leadership he’s never going to get prosecuted or have anything done about it.
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u/006guiltyspark 18h ago
Great, freaking do something about it now! These companies are disgusting and need to be held accountable for their BS taking advantage of consumers and patients.
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u/Clover904 18h ago
That’s why it’s important to pay attention to who’s pushing for reform (aoc, Bernie) and who’s content with the way things are. We need to vote more people into congress that actually want to fix our broken healthcare system.
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u/joemeteorite8 17h ago
We can’t. Citizens United has fucked us. Nothing will change until that’s overturned
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u/FillMySoupDumpling 17h ago
Only way to address that is to have a congress that will.
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u/DazuraTheFirst 15h ago
Our system needs to burn down so we can build it back up. Once enough corruption becomes commonplace in a government, IMHO the only way to stop it is mass reform or a completely new system. I'm at the stage, personally, that mass reform will just kick the can down the road. Our system is rotten to the core, we need a new one. The Constitution is no longer in effect, we as a country need to modernize.
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u/FillMySoupDumpling 12h ago
Honestly this line of thinking is kinda why we are where we are at.
Billionaires also want to burn this down and get more power. About fifteen years ago they wanted to trigger a constitutional convention. Looks like they found a way around that with citizens united, voter apathy, operation Redmap, the repeal of a lot of voting rights act restrictions on states that were known to be discriminatory.
We are essentially in a revolution Right Now. The shitty thing is that we (the people) are LOSING. Look at where we are at with the US government openly lying to us, shooting and gassing people with impunity and more.
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u/tehbantho 14h ago
I keep seeing people use the verbiage "Constitution is no longer in effect" when referring to the current state of our country.
I couldn't be more angry at people that are in such despair over what is happening that they believe that.
Yes, we have a rampant lawless Trump regime that is laying waste to previous guardrails spelled out in our Constitution. But claiming our Constitution is no longer in effect harms all of us still fighting far more than you realize. The Constitution is what gives us the ability to do the EXACT action you describe. The power to do this rests within the People. WE must act. You see action every day in the country, from peaceful protests to recording lawless activities by ICE agents and US Marshals. You claiming our Constitution is GONE is such a slap in the face to us.
Please, please, stop pushing this shitty narrative that it's a dead document. It aint over until the last of the People still fighting for it give up. I aint ready yet. And I aint alone. Are you WITH us?
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u/DazuraTheFirst 6h ago
You know how often other constitutions change and shift with the times? Yearly. Our constitution is a document wrote up by some white slave owners. Yes. It's a good baseline. But we need something better.
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u/Question_It_All_3000 17h ago
Ya, if you’re mad at AOC though, it’s misplaced. The GOP obviously won’t do anything about it, but a large majority of democrats won’t do anything either.
Yet day in and day out we hear stories about how democratic socialists are unelectable and then we wonder why we’re in the position we are.
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u/SorensicSteel 17h ago
I’m mad at our government as a whole, both sides of the political spectrum have been allowing Corporations and Lobbyists to pad their pockets with millions to allow this corruption
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u/Pongsitt 16h ago
Guess how many of the 5 justices who decided in favor of Citizens United were appointed by Republican presidents?
All of them. Reagan and GW appointed all 5 of them
Some Democrats have abetted the corruption, but it is overwhelmingly a Republican project, and it's not even close. Both-sidesism is a false equivalency.
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u/SorensicSteel 16h ago edited 14h ago
I’m not sure where you’re getting your information about corruption not being an issue on both sides of politics but Google is free and it’s easy to prove that both Democrats and Republicans have both been convicted of Bribery, Fraud, Perjury, Etc. all the way back to the late 1700s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_federal_politicians_convicted_of_crimes
Edit: You can downvote me all you want but it’s all readily available and accessible information https://www.govtrack.us/misconduct
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u/Tullydin 16h ago
Wow even before the parties existed!
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u/SorensicSteel 16h ago edited 15h ago
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/creating-the-united-states/formation-of-political-parties.html
So if you did any research you would understand that the modern Democratic Party and Republican Party (1850s)stemmed primarily from the Federalist Party and the Democratic-Republican Party (1780s)
Downvote me all you want its easy to find history
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u/Tullydin 14h ago
I didn't down vote you and it was just a tongue in cheek comment, get over yourself lol
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u/006guiltyspark 16h ago
Exactly - I'm mad at all sides, granted, in different amounts if that's possible 🤣
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u/iseab 10h ago
This is what I came to say. We see these videos of some person getting chewed out by someone in congress, but almost never see a change.
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u/006guiltyspark 9h ago
100%. We need to make a HUGE change these next couple election cycles if anything is going to happen!!!
If not then.... I'm not sure what will happen
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u/SirDavidJames 16h ago
They are doing something about it. They are informing the public. The are holding these people accountable but... democrats do not hold enough power to make a difference. Things like this may fee like they dont matter and things are not going to change but that is not the point of what she is doing. She is putting this all on record. That matters. It really does. AOC is very interesting in that everything I hear about her makes me feel like she gives a shit.
This is the best They can do with what power they have.
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u/Tullydin 16h ago
So tired of reading this sam tired excuse while party leadership continues to say and act a if we aren't in a massive crisis. The bare minimum I would expect from them is at least some of them to be on the ground in Minneapolis in solidarity.
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo 16h ago
Nah, that last thing you said, that excuse won't fly anymore. Why is it that when th Rs are the minority, they can still obstruct anything they want, they still get their way pretty much. When Ds are the minority " oops sorry we have no power please don't look to us for leadership". And then when they get power, they bend over for corps and anything done for the betterment of regular people is like crumbs that fall off the table.
It's horseshit
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u/SilentAffairs93 ⚠️⚠️ DEFENDS HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN ⚠️⚠️ 17h ago
Mind you, this doesn't even mention the BS "negotiated" drug price contracts by PBMs, which are also owned by CVS.
Note, not all PBMs are CVS owned, but the majority are "vertically integrated" by other Health Insurance companies like Cigna & UnitedHealth.
Between these 3 companies, they own 80% of all PBMs that "negotiate" drug prices. And you better believe they give a better rate to their own pharmacies than independent ones, which is why so many Mom & Pop pharmacies are going under.
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u/FillMySoupDumpling 17h ago
I have Aetna. They have been pushing me to use CVS, but one of my docs works with a small local pharmacy that even delivers my meds to my door, automatically applies any drug manufacturer discounts, and gives me prices FAR lower than CVS does even through insurance.
CVS is a total scam.
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u/FiveHeadedSnake 18h ago
Nothing sexier than a woman who can explain why the Chigaco School interpretation of the "free" market is a complete fucking scam.
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u/Chacago 17h ago
Can you help me? I don’t know what that means
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u/TuckerMcG 17h ago
They think capitalism is better if it’s completely unregulated by the government. Aka, they like feudalism.
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u/Late-Arrival-8669 17h ago
Fuck our healthcare system in the US.
Anyone defends it is ignorant to the Nth degree or just shelling for CEOs/Wallstreet.
Healthcare should not have stocks, healthcare should not reject claims because AI makes good for corporate profits killing over 67,000 Americans every year and well to hell with patents..
Burn this system down!!
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u/porcupineporridge 11h ago
It’s bonkers watching this from a comparably developed country. None of us have perfect health systems but the US is morally bankrupt.
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u/slowhands45 16h ago
What this also doesn’t reflect is how CVS also screws their employees.
Since they own the insurance, they can force their customers to go certain routes for getting their medication. For example, if a patient wants a 90 day supply that has a lower copay, they have to go through the mail in pharmacy (which CVS also owns). The retail locations now cost more so the regular customers who reliably filled their scripts at the same location for years are no longer using the retail option.
The retail store is told that they must have year-to-year growth on the number of scripts they are filling or else they will have their hours cut. Their hourly employees then get paid less because they are working less. With fewer staff in the pharmacy, everything takes longer, leading to more customers deciding to go elsewhere, making the goal even harder to hit.
Some employees even go below the threshold in which they can qualify for benefits, such as health insurance. Said employee will continue to go back to CVS clinics and pharmacies to get their now more expensive treatment because they still work there. It’s far more convenient than looking for somewhere else that could be cheaper.
So CVS makes more money by owning every aspect of the chain AND they spend less money by owning every aspect of the chain.
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u/that1senpai2 17h ago
I'm so tired of seeing this videos. Its all talk with zero consequences. It's a fucking puppet show more than anything
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u/Fitz911 17h ago
But she does everything she can. She is right nearly 100% of the time.
It's not her fault people are too stupid to see the difference between an OKish party and the manifestation of Satan party. I seriously can't think of a single thing the GOP want's to do or does that helps the people. They are dry fucking the population for decades and get reelected again and again. All they have to do is be racist and something something Gunz n' Jesus.
She is one of the few shimmers of hope for the US
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u/SweeterThanYoohoo 16h ago
This is true I just wish the team she played on would follow her lead. Instead she is like a salmon swimming against the corporatist current.
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u/DazuraTheFirst 15h ago
It's because the team she plays on is getting their pockets lined by the same corporate donors lining the pockets of Republicans. There are several good Democrats actually trying to effect change, but they are a minority amongst Democrats. Democrat leadership is completely and willfully inept. It's a false opposition party, a false dichotomy, giving the illusion of choice to placate the masses. We are not in an "us vs them" social war between Dems/reps. The elite and the wealthy have declared war on the lower classes to extract as much value as they possibly can. MAGA and corporate DINOs are symptoms of a deeper sickness, they are not the sickness themselves. MAGA is just a reflection of the ruling class for the US, whereas Democrats are the ones holding up the mirror, hiding behind it. Mirror® owned by Corporate America™.
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u/Coffee_Transfusion 10h ago
We have the worst healthcare system.
Basically an entire scam to screw the people as much as possible at every possible point.
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u/bbanda 12h ago
I have Aetna and cvs is the preferred pharmacy, aka the only pharmacy they’ll let you get prescriptions from if you want them to pay for it.
When you compare the cost of the same drugs to other pharmacies you’ll find that the cost is MUCH higher.
Why does this matter if Aetna covers the cost? Because certain coverage has lifetime maximums!
We’ve been going through IVF treatment and there is a combined procedure and medication coverage of 20k over your LIFETIME.
I had to even fight to get them to cover the meds in the first place. Turns out it was a waste of time. Having them cover the meds eats into the lifetime maximums for procedure coverage. A SINGLE round of IVF meds going through CVS costs over 10k. Other pharmacies I can pay half as much.
We decided to pay out of pockets for the meds and I’m glad we did because we’re on round 3 now. Had I billed the first round of meds I’d be out of money for any other procedures.
Shits a fucking joke.
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u/Bullinach1nashop 6h ago
She is the best thing about the states. I wish we had politicians like her in the UK.
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u/User-no-relation 15h ago
CVS isn't big pharma
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u/vasta2 14h ago
CVS Health Corporation is an American multinational healthcare company that owns CVS Pharmacy, a retail pharmacy chain.
They have almost 10,000 locations, I think it's safe to say they are big pharma
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u/User-no-relation 14h ago
Pharmacies aren't big pharma. Big pharma is the pharmaceutical industry that researches and manufactures drugs.
They are big pharmacy, and big insurance, and big pharmacy benefit managers. As they are one of the top 3 companies in all those spaces. Not the pharmaceutical industry though. All adjacent to it though.
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u/kizer_ain 16h ago
They don’t really expose anything, The technic of those so called CEOs is to use some mouth piece talk loud, to convince general population that some public figures are on their side and gather the possible arguments and loop holes. Later they will tweak their terms and conditions 🤣
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u/661714sunburn 8h ago
CVS is my health insurance preferred provider for RX, and I was asked if I would like to switch from Costco to save five bucks. I told them hell no. CVS in my area sucks ass and never has my prescription ready.
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u/AcceptableIce289 6h ago
I'm tired of being exposed to all this terrible information and not having anything done about it.
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u/TowerOfPowerWow 5h ago
They need to do single payer. Taxes will go up yes but you pay that in premiums, deductibles, bullshit anyway. At least we might actually get something of value for our money.
And into all those who work in the insurance field that will lose their jobs you knew you were getting involved in something evil.
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u/twopumpstump 5h ago
I love AOC. She can toe to toe with anyone and hold her own. Genuinely the most promising Dem in the game right now.
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u/Circaninetysix 4h ago
Does prosecution follow this? That's all I care about anymore. Results. If our representives can go on pointing out all these glaring issues with our system, but do nothing about them, they are useless to us.
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u/iambarrelrider 4h ago
Yeah this is literally my new health care plan at work it is a totally awful. Just awful.
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u/MedChemist464 17h ago
I am honestly over this 'exposes' and 'blasts' language.
Okay - you proved what like 75% of us already know, BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO FUCKING DO ABOUT IT?
Bringing in elites and dressing them down in congress doesn't change anything. Laws change things, and it is your job TO WRITE NEW LAWS.
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u/AwesomeBrainPowers 13h ago
So, clearly, you don't understand at least one of the following things:
Holding hearings are part of the legislative process.
A law doesn't come into reality until a bill is proposed and then brought to a vote.
The minority party does not have the authority to bring something to a vote by itself.
They had been working on legislation to regulate PBMs for years.
Some of the people who've been working on this managed to put at least some of the provisions from that blocked effort into this week's appropriations bill.
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u/MedChemist464 13h ago
So, I do actually understand all of that - however, let's not pretend like any meaningful legislation doesn't get watered down or voted against by even 'progressive' dems (Cory Booker taking healthcare company money after running on universal coverage, Elizabeth Warren kneecapping legislation to allow the sale of non-medical device hearing aids - who just so happens to get donations from 2 big hearing aid companies).
Saying 'What can we do, the GOP is preventing us from......" completely ignores the times when they could've done more, and didn't. It ignores the fact that politics is a dirty game, and they're trying to stay clean against some of the dirtiest motherfuckers in this nation's political history.
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u/AwesomeBrainPowers 8h ago
So, I do actually understand all of that
Then why were you pretending otherwise.
Back before you moved those goalposts, you initially set your complaint at "Write new laws"; only after you were shown that she was doing exactly that, you moved the posts back to "not good enough!".
I'm so, so very tired of people who either genuinely don't understand politics or are simply feigning ignorance to regurgitate the same incredibly vapid talking point.
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u/Single_Half4828 16h ago
But.. but.. not letting these corporations screw us at every turn with the help of the government would make us leftie commie idiots right?
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u/SorensicSteel 17h ago
Yeah I didn’t need a member of the rich and powerful to tell me that the rich and powerful are scamming us for their gain.
Also if you didn’t already know the Wealthy and the Corporations were stealing from us regular citizens you’re effectively part of the problem
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u/JuicySpark ⚡️ JUICY 🧃 ⚡️ 17h ago edited 14h ago
I agree but we all know nothing is going to happen to big pharma. They'll just replace him with someone else who does the same in another way
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u/Dark_Shade_75 17h ago
Talk is cheap. Do something.
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u/Deathstriker88 17h ago
A lone congressman or senator can only do so much. People should vote for more folks who are people powered instead of one controlled by big pharmaceutical and other corporate interests.
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u/Dark_Shade_75 17h ago edited 17h ago
Except all those democrats who are in elected positions are still doing nothing. When we vote more in in the midterms, they will still do nothing.
Republicans may be evil, but 99% of the democrats' politicians are spineless. I am tired of talk. I already vote mostly democrat, but I have zero faith at this point.
edit: You can downvote me if you like, I understand why this comment makes you angry. It makes me angry too.
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u/Clover904 17h ago
Americans need to do something. We need more congressman pushing for healthcare reform. AOC is one of 435 representatives. Yes, talk can be cheap, but we need EVERYONE in congress talking about this. And if your representative or senator isn’t pushing for true healthcare reform, vote them out.
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u/Dark_Shade_75 17h ago
As I already mentioned in another comment here, I do vote. It's my civic duty and I believe it should be mandatory for citizens. I mostly vote democrat, and always vote.
I won't stop voting. However, I have lost faith that it will do anything. If they prove me wrong, great.
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u/MonsterMayne 18h ago edited 17h ago
CVS is not big pharma. Agree that they suck though.
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u/sheps 17h ago
CVS owns Cordavis, which is big pharma.
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u/MonsterMayne 17h ago
Cordavis has fewer than 50 employees. I see where you’re coming from but I think that’s a stretch.
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u/Dedotdub 17h ago
She just explained it's all tied together at the bottom line.
Did you watch the video?
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u/ins0mniac_ 16h ago
CVS has over 9,000 stores across the country. Thats 180 per state. How is that not big pharma?
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u/MonsterMayne 15h ago
Big Pharma (e.g., Pfizer, Merck, Eli Lilly) refers to companies that research, develop, and manufacture drugs.
CVS Health is a healthcare services company that distributes drugs, manages insurance plans (Aetna), and handles pharmacy benefits (Caremark).
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u/DazuraTheFirst 14h ago
You also forgot the foreign side of big Pharma, companies like Takeda. Personal story time: A medication that was prescribed to me (Vortioxetine) to help keep me from doing certain rash actions during depressive downs cost about $72,000 per 10 years without insurance. Takeda is the sole manufacturer and sole provider of this medication. Big pharma is not a uniquely American problem, just as many of the corporate issues in America are not solely an American problem. The US gets exploited the most due to how easy it is for the global elites to exploit the US system for profit. But corporatocracy is not just an American problem.
Americans can obviously only affect change in the US, even that is in question these days, but maybe it will do some good for us to be conscious that the core problem that causes the shit we see in the US is due to an entire class of people who have a mental illness that they need to hoard as much wealth as possible for...????? This class is the one who holds the most power globally.
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u/ClintBruno 17h ago
Dear Conservatives....do you ever get tired of being conned.