Colorado Caps Insulin Cost

[Gman]

Anything to bring on 'single payer' is on the agenda.

[Irving]

Just....wow.

Many thin people are more unhealthy than fat people, but let's not confuse anybody by breaking from stereotypes.

I'll just put this out there...

Why so dramatic? I said that so I didn't have to hear people telling me about how it's their fault for their life choices that they make. Looks like I couldn't dodge that bullet no matter what.

[DFBrews]

But but Nixon in 73 was the for profit change and the reason health care has ballooned.

Above is satire and running rampant on social the last week

[whitewalrus]

Gov. Jared Polis signed legislation Wednesday that caps insurance co-payments on insulin no matter the type of insulin.

This will not stop the insulin prices from going up, it will however, raise the insurance premiums for everyone.

[Great-Kazoo]

I couldn't dodge that bullet no matter what.

we're talking about insulin, not penicillin .

On a serious note. What community will be asking for caps on other drugs?

[Eric P]

we're talking about insulin, not penicillin .

On a serious note. What community will be asking for caps on other drugs?

Saw a headline that the FDA approved a $2 million drug.

[FoxtArt]

I haven't read the bill, but in the OP's post you guys are missing the obvious.

that caps insurance co-payments on insulin

. That doesn't sound like it price fixes insulin.

You want to know the net effect of this? Pharma jacks prices up because they get guaranteed payment. It's why Pharma bro jacked up the epi pen cost. Insurance is obligated to pay it, they get rich, insurance spreads the cost around everyone, which is part of why we all pay 200 to 300% more for insurance in the last five years. If the quotation is correct, this won't have any effect at all on supply to diabetics, only to our continually skyrocketing premiums. Just wait though, they have a solution for that too.

[Skip]

I haven't read the bill, but in the OP's post you guys are missing the obvious.
. That doesn't sound like it price fixes insulin.

You want to know the net effect of this? Pharma jacks prices up because they get guaranteed payment. It's why Pharma bro jacked up the epi pen cost. Insurance is obligated to pay it, they get rich, insurance spreads the cost around everyone, which is part of why we all pay 200 to 300% more for insurance in the last five years. If the quotation is correct, this won't have any effect at all on supply to diabetics, only to our continually skyrocketing premiums. Just wait though, they have a solution for that too.

Yup, then they'll just pass a law that caps the cost of health insurance!

Once you start down the path of Venezuela economics there is no return because the voters demand more even the point of weekly chicken beak broth rations.

This is why it should be a strong warning to those who need meds because the market will respond, we just won't like how it responds.

[Gman]

I put a chunk of this on George W. Bush. Along with doing away with incandescent light bulbs, he also was party to having all meds 'FDA approved' where a fast-track patent process was created. This meant medications that were generic and used safely for over 100 years were now patented and the cost skyrocketed. (The medication I use was derived from the autumn crocus plant and has been used since 1500 BC). I was buying a generic @ $10 for a 3 month supply. This drug was patented under this new law and it went to $4 per dose. Generics were no longer allowed in the market due to this. There were drug companies setup where have was legal and the other was labs. They could quickly turn around the patents on safe medication and make a mint.

About the same time, the government was taking a greater interest in healthcare. Why would the government want to spend more of our tax dollars on these patented drugs rather than generics? That's an easy question to answer.

Wouldn't surprise me if our politicians were also heavily invested in that enterprise.

[hollohas]

These things are only expensive BECAUSE of government involvement. They caused the problem and now they have a new law to "fix" the problem.

How much can a person pay for insulin each month? Seems medicine is only expensive when it's for people and doctors, insurance and the government are involved. I buy human insulin for my dog that costs $20 a bottle at Walmart. The vet gave me a Rx, but it's not required apparently, Walmart never took record of it.

It's not always the pharma companies making boatloads of cash.
Most of the time it's the middlemen, regulations, insurance, etc that make things cost so much. Take all that away, and many things become much less expensive.