An exploratory committee should be created to investigate the per unit production cost of all Medicaid covered medicines and medical supplies. This government should then pass legislation stipulating a maximum post-production mark-up the government (Medicaid) will pay for said items.
Why do taxpayer dollars cover $40 boxes of 20 count diabetes test strips when the cost of production per unit including labor wages and overhead is less than 25 cents per strip?
I don't blame government waste for this problem. I believe it is more government oversight. In the wake of financial disaster it makes sense to pay attention to more than defense spending.
The idea is to cap mark-ups, not buy from the lowest bidder. We don't have to buy from China... We can keep money IN our local economy.