Hey, Chip. I thought you LIKED the “free market” when it comes to health care. Hugely expensive drugs are part of the price we pay for allowing private businesses to run health care. You would not have this problem in Canada, Costa Rica, or any other civilized country in the world, so revel in it.
“why can’t I just have a cheap new pill?” Because the government is afraid to revoke patents for firms that are guilty of price gouging. If the patent office would revoke the patents that groups have filed. If they would revoke patents then other groups could legally start producing cheap alternatives, supply would go up, demand and price would meet somewhere at a point lower than it is today. No muss, no fuss, no additional bureaucracy; just the free market doing its job and the government protecting the consumer while enabling competition within the market.
Huge increases in “generic” drugs are the corporate prayers answered by Republicans in Congress putting “riders” on bills to allow them to shaft taxpayers on medicare “non-competition” hidden costs, pocketed as “campaign funding”.
Which, as government pushed “Tamiflu”, which was ineffective, Don Rumsfeld pocketed a profit from every dose, as his company owned the patent, and the drug was made in the UK.
I agree that drug cost are much too high, but Obamacare made me realize just how badly..Used to be, before my company moved to an ACA approved health care policy (our old one was deemed “Cadillac”) I paid between a $7 – $15 co-pay for all prescriptions. This past week I had an ear infection. Our new policy covers nothing but sustainment drugs until a $2,000 deductible is reached. I paid $177 for one prescription thanks to the ACA..The ACA has done nothing but cost me a LOT of money. $20 co-pays used to be the norm for all my doctor visits except Emergency Room which was $50. So far this year I’ve forked out in excess of $4,000 in health care expenses. My son’s special eye glasses (used to be $20) now cost me $560 alone. For all of you who like the ACA, you can take it and firmly ensconce it where the sun doesn’t shine. I estimate that in the two years since my company went to policies applauded by Obamacare liberals, the UNAFFORDABLE care act has cost me more than $6,000 more than my previous policy.
ARodney over 8 years ago
Hey, Chip. I thought you LIKED the “free market” when it comes to health care. Hugely expensive drugs are part of the price we pay for allowing private businesses to run health care. You would not have this problem in Canada, Costa Rica, or any other civilized country in the world, so revel in it.
zachary.stucki over 8 years ago
“why can’t I just have a cheap new pill?” Because the government is afraid to revoke patents for firms that are guilty of price gouging. If the patent office would revoke the patents that groups have filed. If they would revoke patents then other groups could legally start producing cheap alternatives, supply would go up, demand and price would meet somewhere at a point lower than it is today. No muss, no fuss, no additional bureaucracy; just the free market doing its job and the government protecting the consumer while enabling competition within the market.
Dtroutma over 8 years ago
Huge increases in “generic” drugs are the corporate prayers answered by Republicans in Congress putting “riders” on bills to allow them to shaft taxpayers on medicare “non-competition” hidden costs, pocketed as “campaign funding”.
Which, as government pushed “Tamiflu”, which was ineffective, Don Rumsfeld pocketed a profit from every dose, as his company owned the patent, and the drug was made in the UK.
rnapiera over 8 years ago
I agree that drug cost are much too high, but Obamacare made me realize just how badly..Used to be, before my company moved to an ACA approved health care policy (our old one was deemed “Cadillac”) I paid between a $7 – $15 co-pay for all prescriptions. This past week I had an ear infection. Our new policy covers nothing but sustainment drugs until a $2,000 deductible is reached. I paid $177 for one prescription thanks to the ACA..The ACA has done nothing but cost me a LOT of money. $20 co-pays used to be the norm for all my doctor visits except Emergency Room which was $50. So far this year I’ve forked out in excess of $4,000 in health care expenses. My son’s special eye glasses (used to be $20) now cost me $560 alone. For all of you who like the ACA, you can take it and firmly ensconce it where the sun doesn’t shine. I estimate that in the two years since my company went to policies applauded by Obamacare liberals, the UNAFFORDABLE care act has cost me more than $6,000 more than my previous policy.
mattzcat over 8 years ago
The TPP will make drug prices a lot higher by eliminating a lot of generic drugs . . .