[afraidfortherepublic]

Be afraid; be very afraid.

[palmer]

This is one of the reasons that Bush pushed the drug plan: drugs are cheap. Sure there are patent drugs for special conditions or new breakthrough drugs that cost a lot. But one of the results of Obamacare will be putting less resources into new drug development. They are in fact taxing drugs, but specifically only branded drugs.

The bottom line is that if you are a senior expect to get "free" off-patent drugs to your heart's content. Most will have bad side effects and unknown interactions. Most won't cure anything, but at best control some symptoms (at the expense of side effects). Knee replacement? Forget about it, here's a cheap med made in China that might alleviate some symptoms.