Reduce the deficit by allowing Medicare to purchase drugs competitively from pharmaceutical companies.

The Federal Government should negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies and purchase drugs for Medicare use in a competitive fashion. Right now the pharmaceutical companies charge inflated prices to the government and the government pays these prices. There is no negotiation. Billions of dollars could be saved each year if we didn't subsidize the pharmaceutical companies in this way. We protect the pharmaceutical companies because they are powerful and they buy legislators by spending huge amounts of money on their election to all levels of government. Congress must show courage and willingness to cut the budget in commonsense ways like this instead of cutting other programs that support health care and Social Security for senior citizens