I do not understand this price difference

[brett]

I understand that there can be price deltas on prescriptions/meds, but this much??

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/americans-diabetes-cross-canada-border-insulin-1.5125988

 

[Red Badger]

Our adult son takes a maintenance med. He was without insurance for a period last year. Cost of med was ~$150. This year (with insurance), the cost is ~$2. The insurance did not cover the cost, as he was well below his deductible. The delta was the insurance contracted price vs private payer. Just wrong.

 

[pb4uski]

Totally agree.... the pharma lobby fights hard against sensible price controls so they can rape and pillage American consumers... while citizens in other countries pay far less for the same drugs.

There outta be a law against it.... in effect American consumers subsidize both pharma profits and foreigners for drugs sold abroad.... it is ridiculous. Given globalization, how about a single base price worldwide plus reasonable surcharges for transportation costs? That way, all users of a drug pay equally for its development and manufacturing cost and pharma profits.

 

[Jerry1]

My opinion is that this happens because the US subsidizes the rest of the world in prescriptions. Our market pricing pays for the research and fixed price arrangements that big pharma incur. If we ever force real competition or set prices, it will be interesting to see what happens to the industry. Of course they claim it will eliminate research into new medicines but who knows if that will happen. It’s clear our current system doesn’t work well.

 

[ivinsfan]

Our adult son takes a maintenance med. He was without insurance for a period last year. Cost of med was ~$150. This year (with insurance), the cost is ~$2. The insurance did not cover the cost, as he was well below his deductible. The delta was the insurance contracted price vs private payer. Just wrong.

It won't help for last year but did you check GoodRX for a price on that med?

 

[kcowan]

I have a company drug plan with Sun Life. They pay 80% of purchase price less $5. Then I get to declare the 20% as a tax credit. For some drugs such as Advair Discus, it is outrageous. I have a buddy in Denver and his price with no plan is close to my 20%. Don't understand it.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

No or little regulation in the USA, regulation almost everywhere else. It is not America subsidizing it is pharma taking advantage. Unfortunately US Government (Both sides) talks a lot and does nothing.

Also no ads allowed in most countries for drugs. Americans pay for advertising in the USA.

 

[imoldernu]

Besides donations to congressmen fund raising on one side, there is a secondary subtle means of encouraging doctors to prescribe brand medication. Studies are set up to analyze results for the use of new drugs. Doctors are paid to provide patient benefits as a result of this use.
Current congressional reviews are beginning to dig in to this kind of control of the market. Time will tell if there will be any meaningful change.

One of the funniest proposals that was made, was that in addition to TV promotion of the 3 dozen dangers of advertised drugs... was that the price would be shown... maybe instead of "Ask your doctor".

 

[GrayHare]

Health Insurance has distorted pharma prices much like student loans have distorted College tuition. If there's more money available, someone will find a way to take it.

 

[Sunset]

No or little regulation in the USA, regulation almost everywhere else. It is not America subsidizing it is pharma taking advantage. Unfortunately US Government (Both sides) talks a lot and does nothing.

Also no ads allowed in most countries for drugs. Americans pay for advertising in the USA.

Ads for drugs in the USA account for 50% of the costs of drug "development".

But it boosts sales by many mulitiples so that is more profit. And the drug companies get to explain drugs are expensive to "develop"

 

[Sunset]

No or little regulation in the USA, regulation almost everywhere else. It is not America subsidizing it is pharma taking advantage. Unfortunately US Government (Both sides) talks a lot and does nothing.

Also no ads allowed in most countries for drugs. Americans pay for advertising in the USA.

Right now there is a bill to ALLOW medicare to negotiate drug prices, right now they just have to pay WHATEVER the drug company wants to charge... no wonder drugs are high.

 

[friar1610]

Right now there is a bill to ALLOW medicare to negotiate drug prices, right now they just have to pay WHATEVER the drug company wants to charge... no wonder drugs are high.

As I understand it, the VA is the only Federal entity permitted to negotiate drug prices. When you consider all the drugs used by Medicare, the military services and other programs I'm sure I've never heard of, that's just plain crazy.

 

[pb4uski]

+1 bat-sh!t crazy!

 

[Beststash]

As I understand it, the VA is the only Federal entity permitted to negotiate drug prices. When you consider all the drugs used by Medicare, the military services and other programs I'm sure I've never heard of, that's just plain crazy.

As long as we have a system that enables industries, big corporations, to spend pretty much whatever it takes to influence the elections and public policy, this will more than likely not change. Most of the politicians duck for cover on this issue declaring "free market" rhetoric and the beat goes on. This is a good example of "Crony Capitalism".

 

[trumpeting_angel]

A friend rationed her insulin when she was utterly priced out of her ability to pay. The price of insulin eclipsed her rent, and then some. (Insurance change.). She nearly died, was hospitalized for months, and has had at least 4 subsequent surgeries.

It’s unconscionable.

 

[KM]

DD is a Type 1 diabetic. I can’t even begin to express how angry this growing situation has made me over the past few years. She has good insurance and yet her co-pay for her insulin has increased tenfold in the past 8-10 years. It doubled just this past year......

Most other countries contract prices with the drug companies. “You want to sell your drug in our country.....here’s what we’ll pay for it”.
Here in the US, the drug companies say to the insurance companies “here’s what we’ll charge you, and here’s some incentives to help”, the insurance companies say “okay!”, pocket the incentives, and the end consumer gets screwed. Ok, sure, sometimes they try to negotiate lower prices, but they have little leverage. And if they take the drug off their formulary, there’s an uproar.

Until the government steps in and puts a stop to this.....it’s just going to continue to get worse. And frankly I don’t see the politicians giving a damn....they’re too busy fighting with each other. [emoji22]

 

[Chuckanut]

Pay no attention to this minor controversy over USA vs. foreign drug costs. Instead pay attention to the partisan fighting in D.C. over all sorts of things that won’t affect our lives very much, big money in politics, and the outrageous behavior of people on the political fringe. :sarcasm:

 

[Sunset]

When I go up to Canada, I buy a certain medication over the counter and bring it back (carrying my prescription), just because it's so cheap up there. They have real drugstores up there just like here.
Nothing to be afraid of.

Besides if you look at current medicines, I notice that some of them are from other countries and are sold in my local drugstore.

So if drug companies can import medicine for me, I feel I can too.

 

[mountainsoft]

My mom was paying over $7 PER PILL for Eliquis before she had insurance. With insurance she pays less than 70 cents per pill.

 

[Alan]

As I understand it, the VA is the only Federal entity permitted to negotiate drug prices. When you consider all the drugs used by Medicare, the military services and other programs I'm sure I've never heard of, that's just plain crazy.

I take one prescription drug here in the UK and when my refill arrives the manufacturer is often different because the NHS uses its bulk purchasing power to get the drug at the best price it can negotiate.

 

[joeea]

There outta be a law against it....

how about a single base price worldwide plus reasonable surcharges for transportation costs?

A pricing law?

Something... something... free market...

Why limit this to pharmaceuticals? How about groceries? Housing? Appliances?

 

[joeea]

One of the funniest proposals that was made, was that in addition to TV promotion of the 3 dozen dangers of advertised drugs... was that the price would be shown... maybe instead of "Ask your doctor".

Perhaps funny, but no longer just a proposal. The current administration will now require most ads to include a "price".

It will be interesting to see which "price" they actually display, and what the side effects of such a policy will be.

If this is a good idea, why not require all ads for all products to display prices? Seems odd to me.

 

[Alan]

A pricing law?

Something... something... free market...

Why limit this to pharmaceuticals? How about groceries? Housing? Appliances?

The point that pb4 was making is that there already is a law, passed by Congress, that specifically stops Medicare from using the free market to negotiate their drug prices.

 

[ivinsfan]

The point that pb4 was making is that there already is a law, passed by Congress, that specifically stops Medicare from using the free market to negotiate their drug prices.

I wonder how much big pharma has to spend to keep that law going. The 10 plus page EOB we got from Medicare after my DH heart surgery gone wrong, had more alphabet exceptions printed on it then a bowl of alphabet soup. Here is the medicare approved amount and we discounted for A b c and d. .sometimes on the same procedure. Some of the final amounts were so pitifully low, it was disgusting.

The long term result of the EOB made me scared to death to go with an Advantage plan when I went on Medicare 6 months later. I was unwilling to give up the magical "medicare" pricing...

I have no major problems now but could see the writing on the wall for what I might need to pay under the Advantage billing plan. The completely annoying thing is my insurance doesn't pay much either after the knockdowns so I know they are raking in the dough on those Medigap plans. Anyone who thinks that Medigap and Advantage plans aren't the wave of the future if Medicare for all pops up has their head in the sand.

 

[EastWest Gal]

A pricing law?

Something... something... free market...

Why limit this to pharmaceuticals? How about groceries? Housing? Appliances?

Groceries:
SNAP, farm subsidies, discount outlets, food banks, grow your own.
Housing:
Section 8, rent control, move to a low COL area.
Appliances: The vast majority of appliances in rental units are supplied by the landlord. Buy them second hand at flea markets and garage sales. At some level, many appliances are convenience items, almost luxury items. Think: dishwasher, toaster, microwave.

It's not illegal to share food, housing, appliances (ever borrow something from a neighbor?)
It's illegal to share prescription medication.

In all the above categories, except doing without all food, you can choose not to buy these things and it isn't an automatic death sentence. With Type 1 diabetes, without insulin, you will quickly die. Insulin has been around since the 1920s. Yet it is still under patent! This is due to insignificant changes in insulin and delivery systems, creating new patents, allowing the price gouging to continue ad infinitum.

There is no "free market" when it comes to pharmaceuticals or anything in medicine. If you have a heart attack or cancer, you can't shop for the cheapest doctor, procedure, hospital, medication, or imaging facility, because no one tells you the price up front. Heck, they don't even know the price! It's hidden from the providers by layers of and insurance company and health care system contracts.

A free market requires open competition, and the ability to negotiate prices. Laws of supply and demand do not apply here. There is plenty of supply but the drug companies can charge whatever they want. However, they are charging so much that in some cases they literally kill off their customers because of inability to pay. It's stupid, but they do it anyway.