Posted on 03/03/2020 8:34:26 AM PST by Kaslin
Reports over the past week have stated that President Trump is frustrated over Congress’ stalled initiatives to cut drug prices.
Who can blame him? Americans spend more on prescription drugs on average than citizens of any other nation on the planet, to the tune of $1,200 per person per year. It’s no secret that they’re frustrated about it, and it’s about time for Congress to act.
Even since the president’s State of the Union of just a few weeks ago, where he made fixing the issue a centerpiece of his address to Congress, the scope of the drug cost problem has gotten even more alarming.
For example, according to a February 13 study, Medicare Part D plans are putting generic prescription drugs on non-generic tiers more than 50% of the time, while they are putting them on preferred generic tiering only 10% of the time.
That’s just wonky way of saying that drug plans are making a habit of putting generics on the same pricing tiers as brand-name drugs -- not permitting many consumers to realize their cost-savings. To make matters worse, many generic drugs aren’t being included within the program at all.
This policy’s implications for American consumers have been eye-popping. As recently pointed out by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) in his Federal Fumbles: Ways the Government Dropped the Ball report, consumers have been robbed of a whopping $22 billion due to this deliberate sleight of hand.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
“Reports over the past week have stated that President Trump is frustrated over Congress’ stalled initiatives to cut drug prices.”
Put a stop to drug companies paying off Congress
And bring drug manufacturing back to the United States.
It is criminal that we depend on India and China for so much.
I understand the need for research, and the free market incentives for such.
I object violently to having the citizens of the US pay for *ALL* the research with the citizens of every other country reaping the results at a vastly lower cost.
We shouldn’t have to pay more than our share, I don’t care *WHO* gets screwed to make this the case, be it pharmaceutical executives or citizens of other countries. Paying 100X more than someone in France, Germany or China is every bit as insulting and harmful as giving same our military bases and secrets.
I remember a few years ago I had this issue with my right eye where my eye pupil would seize up, it was painful as hell like someone stabbing me in the eye. It got so bad my pupil was deformed. So I went to the eye doctor and he wrote a prescription for this stuff called Durezol and I didn’t have insurance. $250 bucks for a bottle barely an inch tall. It worked though. My eye still seizes up now and then but it eventually goes away thank God, I can’t even imagine if I was dependent upon that stuff, I could easily see going through a bottle of it a week, $1000 a month.
They won’t.
Big Pharma owns so many Congresscritters they can actually produce pink slips on them.
A LOT of what Corporate America posits to us as excuses to leave the status-quo alone are ridiculous hyperbole.
In the long run it will come back to bite them. Either make some steps towards becoming fair and rational now, or pay the price when somebody like Bernie inevitably gets elected.
Drug Prices are a SCAM and they are patently GUILTY of Violating every Anti Trust Law we have on the books.
I go see my Doctor, No Insurance. She writes me a Prescription for medication, I go to the Pharmacy, with Insurance there is a $10 Co-Pay, then they Bill Insurance Company for Balance of $50.
Without Insurance my Prescription cost $10 and I go home!!!
> I object violently to having the citizens of the US pay for *ALL* the research with the citizens of every other country reaping the results at a vastly lower cost. <
I’ve read that at least part of the problem is due to those countries putting the squeeze on American pharmaceutical companies: Either sell us your products at a deep discount or we will ignore your patents and produce the drugs ourselves.
Is the U.S. willing to push our “allies” hard in order to protect patents? Somehow I doubt it.
So true.
Last week we needed a prescription filled. Insurance wouldn’t cover it and the pharmacy said it was $155.
I went to the GoodRx app and the same drug at that pharmacy was $30.
Showed it to the pharmacist, handed over $30 and was on my way.
How can there be such a big disparity in prices for the same drug at the same store?
Yes. As the mother of two type 1 diabetics who rely on insulin daily to LIVE, that the government is paid off to allow a monopoly of three companies to manufacture insulin and keep the price high enrages me no end.
Won’t happen. Big donors
Quite frankly, the job of our government is to ensure the freedom and safety of our citizens. End of Story.
Any politician that prioritizes “allies” over even ONE citizen needs to be strung up with piano wire, now.
AGREE. Some simple advice, get Predisone in loose tablets $5.00 or less, blister pack $50.00 taste awful. Diabetic test strips are loaded Code side up, causing more errors more cost. Dump your new batch to the blood in take side up in old bottle. Avoid Metformin as it has the BP and Zantac cancer agent.
Beware most Type 2 meds are very expensive. Januvia 1 a day 30 days is between $400-500 a bottle, At Good Rx.
Medicare/Tricare it just has to be on the Formulary. Get at Military base FREE. Express Scripts is highest co-pay for a 90 supply, same goes for Medicaid with Medicare. All prices are Pre Negotiated and you can’t use Good RX. That only applies to Private health care.
Put a stop to drug companies paying off Congress
Simple solution, that doesn’t require any kind of big gov solution.
Allow people to purchase their drugs overseas. When they can get the same drug for 1/10th (or less!) of the cost here, I bet dollars to donuts our prices will start dropping until they are about even with what every other country’s citizens pay. Course, their prices will likely come up a bit to make up the difference, but I don’t care. The US market will balance itself out with the global market.
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