According to the Associated Press, Senate Republicans have blocked a bill that would allow the government to negotiate Medicare drug prices. Democrats who supported the bill came up five votes short of forcing a vote on the issue.

Republicans say that government involvement isn’t needed. They say the current system is working well and costing less than expected because the private sector, not the government, is doing the negotiating. Democrats say the government could use its leverage to drive a better bargain than individual insurers. They say that would lower the cost of the program for taxpayers and seniors.

I’m inclined to agree with the Democrats on this one. The Feds, if they so choose, can carry a mighty big stick into the debate simply because the contracts are so huge. Also, the argument that the private sector can do a better job negotiating seems a real slap in the face to the Federal employees charged with hammering out such deals. Granted, we’ve all heard stories about the $700 pipe wrenches and $1,000 toilet seats, but it IS possible to go through this process without corruption, don’t you think? Maybe that’s what the legislation should do first: clean up the way the government awards contracts in the first place!