Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: A Doctor Delivers Bad News--today's LA Times. [View all]passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)68. I'm currently paying 122 a mo for two asthma rescue inhalers
I use two because I can't afford the Pulmicort that would help control my asthma.
Somewhere across the Ocean (forgot which country), for the exact same inhaler (HFA) I use (Ventolin), the price was $7 a couple of years ago...so now it's maybe up a bit...maybe $10? $20 a month compared to the $122 I'm paying now at WalMart. And this is for a name-brand inhaler, because when they switched to HFA, they got their inhalers repatented. No more generics.
Asthma is a very common childhood illness, and one that primary care providers can often manage without consulting subspecialists.
....So I prescribe a lot of albuterol [inhalers]. Or rather, I would if they existed. Unfortunately, albuterol inhalers per se are not currently on the market. What my patients really get are prescriptions for Proventil or Ventolin or Proair. There are, at this time, precisely zero generic albuterol [inhalers] on the market.
The reason why there are none on the market and thus patients (or their insurance companies, if they are blessed with good coverage) are forced to pay for the name brands is contained in this horrifying and infuriating article about pharmaceutical pricing in the New York Times. If it does not make your blood boil, then I congratulate you for having a more even temperament than I.
....So I prescribe a lot of albuterol [inhalers]. Or rather, I would if they existed. Unfortunately, albuterol inhalers per se are not currently on the market. What my patients really get are prescriptions for Proventil or Ventolin or Proair. There are, at this time, precisely zero generic albuterol [inhalers] on the market.
The reason why there are none on the market and thus patients (or their insurance companies, if they are blessed with good coverage) are forced to pay for the name brands is contained in this horrifying and infuriating article about pharmaceutical pricing in the New York Times. If it does not make your blood boil, then I congratulate you for having a more even temperament than I.
The pharma consortium...set up shop in...a major DC law firm. Between 2005 and 2010, it spent $520,000 on lobbying...The lobbying paid off. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved an outright ban on many CFC-based inhalers...In other words, pharmaceutical companies didn't just take advantage of this situation, they actively worked to create this situation.
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/10/heres-why-your-asthma-inhaler-costs-so-damn-much
Here us the link to the NYT article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/the-soaring-cost-of-a-simple-breath.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131013&_r=1
Albuterol, one of the oldest asthma medicines, typically costs $50 to $100 per inhaler in the United States, but it was less than $15 a decade ago, before it was repatented.
This repatenting is a game played by most pharmcos...whenever they can make some kind of change to the medication, they get to repantent drugs that were previously generic, and once they are repatented, other companies can no longer compete with generics.
The one that really blew my mind was the nasal spray, said Robin Levi, Hannah and Abbys mother, referring to her $80 co-payment for Rhinocort Aqua, a prescription drug that was selling for more than $250 a month in Oakland pharmacies last year but costs under $7 in Europe, where it is available over the counter.
With its high prescription prices, the United States spends far more per capita on medicines than other developed countries. Drugs account for 10 percent of the countrys $2.7 trillion annual health bill
They have it in the bag.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
111 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
This is the kind of problem that Medicare-for-all won't fix. Our health care costs
pnwmom
May 2016
#1
But that's not how Medicare works. Millions of seniors would object to changing the system,
pnwmom
May 2016
#5
But Medicare isn't getting very good rates because Congress refused to pass a law
pnwmom
May 2016
#10
The real reason why our health care is SO broken! - Must Read - You won't believe this!
Baobab
May 2016
#101
millions of seniors would object to service fees going down and a real prescription benefit?
Warren Stupidity
May 2016
#20
They would object to having their doctors retire and not being replaced. And most of these costs
pnwmom
May 2016
#31
There is a large group of doctors near retirement age right now. And if the government suddenly
pnwmom
May 2016
#46
You do realize that Medicare does not pay what most docs and hospitals charge, right?
passiveporcupine
May 2016
#67
Single payer has to be free to the end user, (otherwise you would have to create a tiered system to
Baobab
May 2016
#100
Actually, Medicare can't negotiate prices -- but companies that provide Part D coverage, can and do.
Hoyt
May 2016
#80
Many private insurers pay less than Medicare. Most others allow Medicare + say 10 or 25%.
Hoyt
May 2016
#81
In many countries, doctors are state employees. The difficulty here is persuading doctors
pnwmom
May 2016
#15
Yes In England but I don't believe that's true in Canada, France, and Germany. nm
rhett o rick
May 2016
#19
It is exactly the sort of crapfest that a single payer system can fix.
Warren Stupidity
May 2016
#17
yes it would fix it, and the INSURANCE INDUSTRY creates that waste BY WASTING TONS OF TIME
Baobab
May 2016
#99
I thought about it. Go for a Reality Show, only way to do it right. We gotta Think Big.
appalachiablue
May 2016
#62
On the reality show I was half way teasing, Cafe Press stuff is great! :)
appalachiablue
May 2016
#106
Thats the way to do it. It would take care of itself over time. Just put the option on the table.
litlbilly
May 2016
#23
Another part of problem is that corporations get better treatment than individual humans
lostnfound
May 2016
#42
I basically agree, but you'd never hear the end of it if the government refused to cover a drug
Hoyt
May 2016
#82
I recently had two separate discussions with conservatives who oppose Obamacare. I learned this
Algernon Moncrieff
May 2016
#47