To: Ol' Sparky
If there was a true interest in reducing the cost of prescription drugs, seniors would be given greater access to buy drugs on the free market from countries like Canada and Mexico.
This is a flawed argument. It has been shown on other threads discussing the costs of perscription drugs that the low costs of drugs in other countries is being subsidized by the higher cost of drugs in the U.S. Increasing the volume of low cost drugs sold outside the U.S. will only drive the prices higher in the U.S.
The only true way to reduce the cost of drugs is to eliminate overhead involved with development, documentation and liability.
More energy should be expended on finding creative, innovative ways to attack the overhead aspect rather than trying to play shell games with point of purchase.
112 posted on
02/06/2004 9:00:16 PM PST by
CMAC51
To: CMAC51
No, the only way to reduce prescription drug costs is all citizens to pay for the products directly. Third-party payers -- insurance companies and the government -- are the problem in this nation. The only way the cost of health care will ever come down is for market forces to return in the form of direct payment for consumers.
To: CMAC51
Actually, allowing the free market to work by allowing consumers full access to the lowest prices available for prescription drugs anywhere in the world is the best way to bring prices down in this nation. If pharmaceutical companies are faced with losing a large percentage of their consumer base, they will reduce prices.
Sure, liability and regulations pay a role and those problems need to addressed. Regardless, the answer is NOT to have government pay for prescription drugs for seniors. That only makes the core problem worse.
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