Failure is always news, success is for TV ads
Tuesday, May 9, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
On average, this is a little over 1,000 prescription orders a month - less than a small town druggist would do. Not great.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich once characterized his state program to import cheaper medicines from Canada and Europe as a “prairie fire simmering here in the Midwest.”
But 19 months after its highly publicized launch, I-SaveRx has not sparked a revolution. To date, the program has generated only a little more than 20,000 orders from Illinois and four participating states, which together have a potential customer base of 27 million. Most prescriptions are believed to have come from Illinois.
With such a relatively small response, some observers consider I-SaveRx a failure, particularly given the early hype from Blagojevich, a Chicago Democrat now running for re-election.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said the market landscape has changed with the federal government’s rollout this year of a Medicare drug benefit for seniors.
“We recognize that now seniors have access to more assistance than they did when we introduced the program,†she said.
There’s no mention in the article about how much the administration has spent hyping the program.
- girl friday - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 5:53 am:
“We recognize that now seniors have access to more assistance than they did when we introduced the program,†she said.
The normal thing to do before ‘introducing a new program’ is to do SOME research. Maybe see what your competition is. I wonder how much money was spent ‘hyping’ this program.
- DOWNSTATE - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 6:43 am:
The governor and his crew always seem to get their numbers wrong.This is no different.Just like his so called pre-school.It is not universal as they claim and we are not the first state to implement it.These people don’t care how workable it is just how big of a headline it is.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 7:05 am:
There’s a prairie fire alright and the gov did indeed ignite it. A gov of a financially broke state constantly issuing phoney baloney campaign sound bites that have no basis in reality yet mysteriously turn into government programs under the Democrat monopoly have the voters simmering, make that boiling, with enthusiasm to send that gov packing.
Less than six months, Rod, any you will be out.
- BIG R.PH - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 8:20 am:
It would be interesting to see how much the Canadian Pharmacies donated to G-Rod’s campaign. I would be willing to bet that they got screwed. Welcome to Illinois!!
Some of those funds should be re-directed to pay the in-state pharmacies for Public Aid claims!!!!!!!
- Wheres the leadership??? - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 9:38 am:
The state spent more money on touting the program than it saved…Typical of this administration.
- Mike's Used Sports Section - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 9:58 am:
Here’s how it works you see. First we take a poll. Then we write the talking points. Then we do the press conference and about 20 different press events and then we write the legislation and if it doesn’t work, who cares it sounded good.
- NIEVA - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 6:46 pm:
Rich, This is totally of subject but I don’t have your email. Did you hear what emil said about the pay raises for the legislative branches? That without the raises they would be second class citizens!! How about the other non union state workers that have only had one raise in the last several years and that just brought them back to the level they were at before.
- Disgusted - Tuesday, May 9, 06 @ 9:02 pm:
Don’t worry, Nieva. That statement will come back to bite Mr. Jones on the butt many, many time. It’s time for a class action suit against this blatant discrimination.