Health Insurance

Stu,
Well said, you took the words right out of my mouth. I live in PA and this must be the one of the biggest issues right here, now. I have joined PAPA, Politcally Active Physicians Association, in attempts to put my bitching to some use about the system. Not only are the efforts for caps in nonecomic damges to 250,000 but also to put caps on the greedy lawyers take home pay. Shanon Spector (Arlen Spectors son) right now is one of the hated malpractice lawyers here in PA just won a suit for $400,000,000 on some nonsense case. Someone won some money but look how many people have lost. Obsurb. I chose this topic for one of my papers for my BSN. 52 pages later and enough knowlegde to know what needs to be done but I too will vote for Kerry.
The fight goes on, there is still hope.
Ok there is my 2 or more like a pence.
T-

Tara next time you are down here let us know so you can join our roundtable drinking team I mean debating team. I think everyone here is on the same page. maybe I should start arguing the lawyers side just to get some controversy going.

Medman, I think you are also on the right track. What REALLY gets me, is, if Canadian pharmacies can sell drugs at drastically lower prices, why can't the US? You KNOW they are making a profit, so if the drug companies can wholesale drugs cheaper to Canada, they have to be ripping of the US. I know is costs alot to research and develop new drugs, but if that's their reason, then why isn't the rest of the world sharing the cost with us? It just doesn't make sense, and THAT REALLY PEE'S ME OFF!!.

Canada, as far as I know, allows copycat drugs right of that bat. Where the US gives a 7 year window of copyright protection by blocking copycat drugs which lower the prices. They spend billions and billions on bringing a new drug to market and they bascally have a 7 year window to make back the profits so I do understand. However, I do think there is a happy medium to be found.

Although in a free market economy why should the government have to intervene. Are the drug costs really the ones that are killing the cost of medical coverage, I would say yes to a point. But, I think there an easier way to reduce healthcare costs and stabilize the heathcare market, which is by limiting these fraudulent frivolous malpractice cases and the ones that are deserving limiting the punitive damages.

Stu

Stu, I'm with you. I think the malpractice suits are really the culprit here. BUT, I resently needed an expensive medicine that my insurance REFUSED to cover, and I ordered it on line from Canada, at about 1/3 the price. Same manufacturer, same dosage, etc. The pharmacy was extremely diligent and required a faxed copy of my prescription, required a medical history, and called a couple of weeks later with a follow up call to make sure that everything was fine with no problems. I can't say enought about this place. My spouse needs to take Vioxx on a regular basis, and again, our insurance won't pay for it (good ol' Blue Cross and Blue Choice of GA!). Her orthopedist (sp) writes her scripts and recommended that she get them from Canada. Again, about 1/3 the price. Here, that prescription is about $300+ dollars a month. SOOOO, Stu, something is definately wrong with our system!

Capitalism at its best or worst, depending on which side of the fence you are on. If you owned a special t-shirt shop, you wouldn't want the governement saying you can't sell those T-Shirts that everyone NEEDS at $60 each now would you? Hey if people NEED those TShirts I'll charge whatever I think is fair.

Of course I believe there is a happy medium, on profit taking and being a responsible Pharmaceutical company that is looking out for the well being of the healthcare system as a whole, and its needy patients. Its a catch 22.

It sucks from both sides of the fence, but obviously way more from the patient in need of a cure they can afford.

If I own a pharmaceutical company and I spend billions on RD and 1 out of 5 drugs makes it to market and some of them are treating rare diseases or will have a small range of customers for some reason, profits need to be made. Think of it this way, Lou Gherigs Disease or Lupus or some other somewhat rare disease will never find a cure if Pharmaceutical companies can reap the billions and billions they spend in developing that cure.

of course the new cancer drug should be cheap because they will have serious volume, but when the volume lacks they need to markup like mad. People say oh it only costs 13 cents to make that pill. Please tell me where they get that whacky number.

Stu, I know where you're coming from, my spouse used to do work for all of the major pharmaceutical companies when she was in NJ and NY. She says the same things. AND, I have no problem with that. BUT, tell me why they don't charge Canada and other countries for all that R&D that we are paying for? And they don't, because if they did, the Canadian prices would have to be a lot closer to the prices we pay, or they couldn't stay in business. That's basic economics.

because Canada and the other countries allow knockoffs right away so there is greater competition. If the other countries said hey you developed a great drug that costs lots of money I will ban all cheap knockoffs for 7 years like the US then the profit taking would be spread across other countries. Unfortunately its not so as the other countries take care of themselves, they hurt our healthcare in the process.

So, the bottom line is, for the frugal person or one who cannot afford to pay the high prices for meds in the US, ordering name brand products from Canada is a "no brainer". The products I've received are first rate and so is the service. So I would recommend Canadian pharmacies to anyone.

And the reason Canada gets better prices is that they bargain with the pharma companies as a single entity, and thereby can demand better prices. In the US, every hospital, pharmacy, insurance company, etc. must each bargain on their own and therefore, in Stu's beloved free market system, aren't in a powerful enough position to get the companies to lower their p[rices.

And please don't bring up the cost of developing a drug as justification for higher prices in the US.. Our contry already pays the companies for research through monies through NIH for clinical trals, etc. and also gives tax credits to the companies for research. Charging the consumers in the US on top of that government subsidy is double dipping.

These companies aren't out there developing new medications for the greater good -- the pick and choose where they direct their research based on what they can make the largest profit from.

HC

HC-

You go girl!!!!

Can you provide a citation for those accusations HC?

And while you're digging, how 'bout providing a list of all the great pharmaceuticals being developed in places with non-free market economy's.

Jay

Hipcrip only makes one good point. Pharma companies do try to spend their money on developing certain drugs because they know they will be popoular and sell, and thus recoup their costs.

Damn liberals. Go figure why they won't spend their billions on developing a cure for some rare disease. Friggin Canucks will ruin their profit margin and the US will turn a blind eye to the fakes and the people going out of country for their meds which is technically illegal. But thankfully for everybody but the pharm companies, that law is only loosely enforced.

God bless tree huggin hippies who want everything but dont want to pay for it.

Stu

Hope to hear from you soon HipCrip. I miss ranting with you.

"Damn liberals"?

"Friggin Canucks"?

"tree huggin hippies"?

Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sure you haven't missed anyone?

Jay,

Let's start with this:

"It's the prices, stupid: why the United States is so different from other countries".

Written by Gerard F Anderson, Uwe E Relnhardt, Peter S Hussey, and Varduhi Petrosyan. Printed in the May/June 2003 edition of HEALTH AFFAIRS, The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere (Volume 22, Number 3).

To download the PDF, visit http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/vol22/issue3/index.shtml
look for the title and link to the PDF of the full article between one-third and one-half of the way down the page.

See the section called How the buy and sell sides operate on page 102 in the pdf article.

One of the authors, Uwe Reinhardt, is the James Madison Professor of Political Economy; Professor of Economics and Public Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. Dr. Reinhardt is recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities on health care economics. He is the author of many papers from which I have drawn information during seven years as a professional advocate for a single-payer system, and during another seven years doing it on my own time.

Would love to continue this now, but I'm tired so I'll have to take this up again later.

This is pretty fun, ain't it Barefoot Bubba??? *wink*

HC
One flaming lefty who can footnote her statements

Angela,

I hope you took my comments with a big grain of salt. I didn't mean to offend, I was just joking around and trying to get a rise out of HipCrip.

Stu

Stu,

O.K., I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. At the very least, you got a hell of a rise out of me. Have a good picnic........Still am in awe that you would actually bring a BLENDER!!

I'd be in awe if we could have a picnic without one. Thats like the number one priority after people, booze and ice. Silly stuff like food is way down there...

Okay, I keep trying to post, but my post gets too long and by the time I am finishing, I either lose electricity or internet connection. Someone is trying to tell me something. So, I would love to discuss this with HipCrip, Stu, Kyle, Jay, Barefoot, and the rest, but can't. If you all start an email discussion, let me know. I think often about the medical part of politics and how it affects individuals and what solutions would work. In a different lifetime I was going to be a forensic scientist or a doctor. Now of course I am a mommy and wife and an internet surfer. 😉

HipCrip,

Email me if you would. I would love to hear more of your opinions or solutions. If anyone else would like to share, email me as well. I would like to introduce the stem cell discussion, but not here. Please no one reply to that here. I am glad I have met such wonderful people and hope to hear more interesting discussions.

Thanks all.

Teresa

Bravo!!!! I fully appreciate all of your enthusiasm. Now only if our government would put this much energy into finding a better solution.
Cheers!!!

HC, you're MY kind of girl. I love ya!!

Guys & Gals

Great article in the US New & World Report about medicines and states jumping over the border. Basically the canucks subsidize the meds so their tax dollars are working for you. God bless the queen, hockey goalie, or whatever is up there.

Actually US Citizens can use the state websites and order their pills so stop your bitchin and order your pills online. 😉