Pharmaceutical Industry of the United States is prepared to spend 80 billion dollars over 10 years for the reform of American health care, which is being developed by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Democrat Senator Max Bokus has managed to negotiate with pharmaceutical associations on the bill on the reform to transfer part of program costs on the shoulders of businesses, passes Associated Press.
The agreement between the White House, lawmakers and the pharmaceutical industry should facilitate access to prescription drugs for millions of older Americans and reduce costs of the federal government.
B. Obama welcomed the agreement that was reached by the senator and pharmaceutical companies, describing it as a “turning point” in improving the national health system.
The current U.S. public health system, by the general view of American politicians, is imperfect and is in need of immediate reform. Approximately 46 million people in the country are not covered by a health insurance program, the budgetary costs of Medicaid and Medicare programs are growing at a daunting pace and the budget already has a huge deficit.
Congressmen, working on the reform bill, hope that the cost of the plan will not exceed 1 trillion U.S.

As the leadership of GM announced, Opel needs the assistance of European governments in the amount of about 3.3 billion euros, as well as a new investor for its survival. German automakers want to become an independent European joint stock company in which GM’s shares will be minimal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to provide guarantees for the new investor. According to the head of GM Fritz Henderson, business GM Europe, 80% consisting of Opel, thanks to the introduction of eko premium is doing better than expected. Liquidation of GM in the European unit is likely to last until the end of the year.

Meanwhile GM’s hopes for the new investor in Europe are strengthening. «I am very encouraged», – said the head of the council of general productiveness of Opel Klaus Franz to the newspaper Handelsblatt, after the auto giant described the success in finding investors. As Mr. Henderson said during the teleconference, he had already talked with more than half a dozen applicants for the German automakers. Among the potential buyers are financial investors, and some auto concerns. According to Fritz Henderson, now they have the financial statements of the company. Commerzbank, which has attracted German automakers to seek investors, recently posted the first part of the documents to potential buyers to increase their interest.

Recently, an Italian newspaper reported about the interest in Opel by the Italian auto company Fiat. The head of the supervisory board of Fiat Luca Cordero, however, refuted this information. As the head of GM said, he believes that one of the major challenges is the restoration of the competitiveness of the American concern: «If we have to do this through the bankruptcy, we will do it». The U.S. government is obliged to the automaker to settle billions of dollars of claims by creditors and the union UAW until the end of May. «The clock is ticking», – Mr. Henderson is forced to recognize. Detroit auto concern has already received 13.4 billion dollars from the state, without which it would not survive. According to the edition of Detroit News, the U.S. government is going to approve an additional 5 billion USD for the short-term help to GM this week. Its rival Chrysler can get support from the state in the amount 500 million dollars.