WTF....

[pbmus]

Link to tweet

[leftieNanner]

1. Yeah

And let's also talk about Joe Manchin's daughter and the price of an Epi-Pen.

[Traildogbob]

15. Especially

Since Epi Pen was created by the government with tax payers dollars for R&D during war time. And it’s cost to produce is cheap.
As a college faculty taking students into Forest for 6 hour labs for research and equipment training, I had students deathly vulnerable to bee stings. It was too expensive to keep Epi’s on my vans and state would not supply them. I had to have them sign waivers, if you don’t take your pens with ya, ya may die, we can’t afford to help you.

[luvtheGWN]

32. Drs. Banting and Best at University of Toronto

discovered insulin. Because it saved lives, they sold the patent to Connaught Laboratories in Toronto for $1 because they couldn't in good conscience take money for it.

Those were the days.......

[doc03]

2. Maybe they could lower the price of medication if

they didn't advertise on TV 24/7. Who are they advertising to they are f--g prescrtion drugs, shouldn't doctors be prescribing them instead of the TV networks? I wonder how many billion dollars goes in to advertising for drugs.

[uponit7771]

5. +1, its worse than that. Its just 100% greed and profit taking and that's after a lot of drugs ...

... research is paid for already

[sop]

8. Advertising dollars are a payoff to corporate media so they won't talk about high drug prices.

[KS Toronado]

42. You might be on to something.

[Harker]

10. Phony consumer pressure.

"Tell your Dr. you want ( fill in the blank.)"

It's as responsible as advertising crummy kid cereal to kids... "tell mom you want (fill in another blank.)"

[doc03]

12. Tell your doctor if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or etc. Shouldn't the doctor

that prescribes the f--g drugs be telling you that not the other way?

[Harker]

27. Everyone's an expert thanks to the magic of the internet. n/t

[erronis]

29. to be fair, this was happening back in the old days of print advertising...

[Harker]

30. Thank you.

I get cranky.

[demigoddess]

16. AGREE TOTALLY

I see those things one after another. All of them are the stupidest commercials. "Do not use this if you are allergic to the ingredients". Who knows the ingredients? Also a lot of them are about smooth skin or better energy and the side effects might be death or cancer.

[cynical_idealist]

45. Side effects may include rigor mortis and decomposition

[Mr.Bill]

17. A lot of money is also spent

on the network of salesmen who try to get the doctors to prescribe the drugs, too. This system used to be much more corrupt, with giving "gifts" to doctors for an incentive. That's mostly illegal now.

[demigoddess]

46. something is still going on. My doc gives me drugs to lower cholesterol and then tells me

to eat eggs, cheese and meat, like bacon!

[Mr.Bill]

47. That's basically the Adkin's Diet.

Lots of protein and few or no carbs.

[Gaugamela]

19. Advertising prescription drugs used to be illegal, but it changed in 1985 under Reagan. N/t

[luvtheGWN]

31. It's illegal in Canada

but since our cable companies all have CNN or MSNBC as well as both the Canadian and American broadcast channels, we are bombarded with these hideous commercials. And they ARE hideous. Should be outlawed, IMHO.

[NewEnglandAutumn]

24. I remember when this was first allowed

For a long time drug companies were not allowed to advertise but when I was a kid they changed the law. One of the arguments was that by allowing advertising it would reduce the cost of prescription drugs. I kid you not. Who else recalls this???

[RANDYWILDMAN]

3. Health care for profit drug price inflation

which sucks, which is why health care for profit sucks and can't work, which we have known since at least FDR

[doc03]

4. I can understand drug reps pushing the product

to doctors but TV ads for the general public?

[Mr.Bill]

48. It makes people go to their doctor and ask about the drug,

so doctors need to read up on it and decide if they want to recommend it. It also helps the sales rep because they're selling something the patients are asking about. It makes the doctor more interested in it.

[Celerity]

6. the US healthcare system is one of, if not the biggest, wealth extraction schemes ever

Thomas Frist



His first gig as a doctor was as an air force surgeon. He then moved on to collaborating with his father to develop a hospital conglomerate. The company makes more than $50 billion per year purchasing and then selling hospitals. As a result of the continued success of his business, Thomas Frist has a net worth of more than $16 billion. His successful career, with whatever he touches, has earned him the United Way Lifetime Achievement Award as well as an induction into the Healthcare Hall of Fame.

[choie]

11. Might he be related to that republican bastard

bill frist?

[Celerity]

14. his brother (financial raping/pillaging in the for-profit US healthcare matrix is the family biz)

[Blue Owl]

7. News flash for MAGA dipshits: tRump didn't make America great again

[grantcart]

9. Is this really an apple to apple comparison?

To begin with "what is a standard unit of insulin"?

I take 20 standard units twice a day, I am guessing that he doesn't mean that standard unit of insulin.

I use one vial of insulin a month.

It costs $ 25 a month at Walmart without a prescription or drug plan.

I realize that not everyone can use that standard type of insulin but you have to wonder if the comparisons are for the average cost of insulin per country or if they are in fact comparing exotic kinds with basic insulin.

Some people prefer an exotic once a week injection rather than the twice a day kind but it really is quite painless. Some might have medical need for other kinds of insulin but again the way that the tweet is framed you have to wonder if they are comparing the same lowest cost insulin to the lowest cost insulin in each country. Mine costs less than $ 1 per day.

[pbmus]

13. Here....

https://pharmanewsintel.com/news/insulin-prices-8x-higher-in-the-us-compared-to-similar-nations

[grantcart]

33. That actually makes my point

Last edited Tue Mar 23, 2021, 10:52 AM - Edit history (1)

All insulin isn't the same.

You can go to HS on a bike or in a Benz, they both do the job.

I can jab myself 14 times a week and spend $ 30 a month or I can buy Trulicty (not insulin but it should work for me) and get an injection once a week for $ 850 "list cost".

But even that is misleading because the actual cost of Trulicity is closer to $ 250 a month and about a $ 30 - $ 50 copay for many.

I have seen these exorbitant prices for insulin and they are 20 times more than what anyone can pay at Walmart for generic insulin without insurance. Without knowing what kinds of insulin are being averaged together these figures don't make sense.

This source indicates that AVERAGE insulin cost per year use to be around $ 200 per month in the US but has risen to over $ 400 per month, but how much of that is for insulin and how much is for higher tech monitoring and delivering system (insulin pumps with automatic delivery), etc.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cost-of-insulin-by-country

It shows that most insulin (but not all) are more expensive in the US but not at the rates indicated in your tweet.

Now some folks have dramatically debilitating diabetes and need more demanding treatments. I had a client like this last week who had diabetic seizures and neuropathy in her swollen legs. She offered me to join her in drinking non stop Coca Cola during our visit, patient compliance to diet and exercise has a real impact on the disease and the cost of treatment.

Anyone who has uncontrollable diabetes and is making an effort to be doctor compliant should be given the best quality treatment and devices without regard to cost.

For the basic Diabetes 2 client who is diet and exercise compliant you can avoid insulin for a long time (I avoided all meds for 10 years) but when they go on to insulin many (most?) can get generic insulin for $ 1 per day.

I have no idea what type of insulin treatments are needed for Diabetes 1 folks or the cost but they should be able to have it provided without copay.

This sources suggest cost is $ 200 per month

https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/rounds/patients-type-1-diabetes-spend-about-2500-a-year-health-care-costs

[Steven Maurer]

36. You're absolutely correct... deception isn't the best way to "sell" more liberal policies

I really wish Senator Sanders would stop the grandstanding on it when he's wrong.

[NewEnglandAutumn]

25. I work in a pharmacy

It depends a lot on what insulin you are using.

[demigoddess]

18. our daughter takes synthroid. For years we were paying for it out of pocket. it was less than

$20 for a months worth, then our insurance started covering drugs and it went to $60 and then almost over night to $160 a month, which we could not afford. We had to get it through our clinic instead and therefore go through the insurance. Insurance is also out there to make a fortune off our illnesses.

I think the mark up is just to force people to go through insurance. We pay a doctor for a service to our daughter and she charges us way less because we do not use an insurance company. Less trouble to her and time used by her staff.

[NewEnglandAutumn]

26. It is INSANE that we allow insurance companies to set co-pays

insane

[Luciferous]

28. Wow, I take a generic version and it's $10 a month

[demigoddess]

44. the generic doesn't work on her, we tried it.

[tibbir]

38. I take the antidepressant wellbutrin

The brand name medication is very effective, however, when I've tried using the generic brand it was like taking a sugar pill - no effect.

I don't have Medicare Part D so I looked up the cost of brand name Wellbutrin, 90 days supply here in Houston and the prices ranged from 6,000 to 6,500.

I sent my prescription to a Canadian pharmacy and was able to get the same 90 days of brand name Wellbutrin for 152.

Broken doesn't even begin to describe our system.

[Joinfortmill]

20. Capitalism run amok.

[IronLionZion]

21. America's private sector finds lots of efficiencies over those bloated socialist bureacracies

And American insulin is superior to those other shithole insulins because reasons

[mwooldri]

22. And that UK's $7.52 is generally $0 (or 0) out of pocket for most.

For children, students, senior citizens, unemployed, poor, or living in Scotland or Wales ... the cost is nothing. If one has to pay, a yearly prepayment certificate can be bought capping all costs for all medications to about $145-$150.

[gibraltar72]

23. Any questions??

[BobTheSubgenius]

34. Because of losing two heart valves to Staph A, I have to take a rainbox of Rx every day.

Fortunately, all of my drugs are off-patent, so SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than on-patent. And doubly fortunate because I'm 65+ and qualify for further RX subsidy. I recently restocked two of my meds for 90 days each, and my out-of-pocket was $7.94.
I'm sorry, brothers and sisters...you're doing it wrong.

[nvme]

35. And the SHITBAG Senator from Florida

Rick Scott was CEO of a company that was fined over a BILLION Dollars for Defrauding Medicare and we wonder why we pay so much.

[SunSeeker]

37. US Healthcare's business plan is the same as a mugger's: "Your money or your life."

[Habitation]

39. Looks like Trump's executive order did nothing

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/01/30/fact-check-biden-freezes-rule-health-center-insulin-epipen-prices/4254921001/

[area51]

40. Drug prices & medical services prices in the US are insane.

This country is so corrupt I no longer believe we'll ever get the right to healthcare.

[Irish_Dem]

41. Collusion with US leadership for a long time now.

[lsewpershad]

43. Medicare for all

Screw all the eye gouging, insurance and thieving drug
Companies
Medicare for all now.