General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAstronomers are going to have a field day with all the stars we'll be seeing soon
As in...
"We have the greatest healthcare system in the world*"
* - Just don't talk about the maternal mortality rate
* - Just don't talk about the black maternal mortality rate in particular
* - Just don't talk about the medical bills associated with childbirth
* - Just don't talk about the early childhood death rate
Emile
(21,557 posts)Igel
(35,173 posts)I require l-thyroxine to function normally.
My monthly bill is $21.
One month I went for a refill and it was $478. No change in insurance. What accounted for the 21x higher price?
My usual lump of pill in the morning is a single dose. The body keeps a stockpile of the hormone, and produces what it needs from that stockpile. If I miss a dose, meh. Excess is dumped out the kidneys, and it's likely my dose is more than adequate.
But the expensive refill was time-release, yada-yada. All updated. High tech when high tech is marginally useful rarely.
At the same time, the pharmacist was surprised when I said, "No. Double check." They called, and the MD's assistant screwed up. Forgot to check "generic okay". $21.
The surprise was that the spendy stuff was in stock, because many assume that the latest and greatest is required, when, really, it isn't.
Remember the Epipen (tm) scandal? There were other makers of exactly the same dose of the same pharmacologically active substance, but using a different delivery method. Epipen was favored, and raised its price. The other manufacturers did not. If you wanted an Epipen (tm), you paid through the nose. If you wanted an epipen (analog), it was still dirt cheap. The thing is, the Epipen (tm) was really, really, ***really*** easy to use, while the others took more than 3 seconds' training. Perhaps as much as 30 seconds'.
Diamond_Dog
(31,528 posts)Its all good as long as you dont include AA folk!
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/05/bill-cassidy-maternal-mortality-rates
Brother Buzz
(36,127 posts)Response to ck4829 (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
asa4ever
(66 posts)0rganism
(23,819 posts)Now that the mirrors are aligned and all