i'm still reeling from the price increase- stunned

Paul48

The PR, and press releases are the truth! And Hillary will swear to it.....right after a private meeting with their CEO's.

PMJ

SlamDunk said:

@PMJ , sorry but I disagree.

And I may be biased may because pharma allows me to earn a good living. Any company that is publicly traded has an obligation to make shareholders-including those who hold shares through 401k's, wealthier. I cant believe pro's on here rely strictly on word of mouth and not advertise occasionally.

Pharma's have to be efficient, comply with every single regulatory agency on earth, and succeed more than they fail.

Drug companys' cant plateau on one drug and they can't pocket the money. They have to reinvest to keep the pipeline full by looking forward 20 years knowing some goals will fail.

We are growing organs at my company to market in 2020. We pay for it by selling drugs we created in 1998 and 2008. We have been working on growing organs since 2009. That requires us to have highly educated employees. We have Phd's who aren't old enough to buy a beer! They must be paid well. You know millenials, they go to the highest bidder!

Each success is a step to the next great thing. Pharma's make a lot. But they spend a lot too.

I will try it once again to post this right.

I'm not condemning the whole drug industry nor trying to claim no good is done.

But the conflicts of interest are impossible to miss. Things that have always been the minor aches and pains of life regularly become named chronic diseases needing ongoing lifetime drug therapy. The ads I see are rarely for any drug that is one and done. They are all about how much better life will be when you get on this. And doctors seem plenty happy to stir multiple drugs into each pot and then claim that they know exactly what each brew is doing. Huh?

It is not a simple matter. But at a minimum anyone who doesn't see much here to be wary about isn't looking clearly.

And I know it pays well and no I don't think it is wrong at all for you to take the money. You didn't make the rules. You have bills to pay like all of us.

Paul48

From our standpoint......the drugs that you are required to take for the rest of you life, are promptly put on a list of "not covered" drugs, by your healthcare provider. Now that 'Cache 22", eat or stay alive.

hot_rod

SlamDunk said:

@PMJ , sorry but I disagree.

And I may be biased may because pharma allows me to earn a good living. Any company that is publicly traded has an obligation to make shareholders-including those who hold shares through 401k's, wealthier. I cant believe pro's on here rely strictly on word of mouth and not advertise occasionally.

Pharma's have to be efficient, comply with every single regulatory agency on earth, and succeed more than they fail.

Drug companys' cant plateau on one drug and they can't pocket the money. They have to reinvest to keep the pipeline full by looking forward 20 years knowing some goals will fail.

We are growing organs at my company to market in 2020. We pay for it by selling drugs we created in 1998 and 2008. We have been working on growing organs since 2009. That requires us to have highly educated employees. We have Phd's who aren't old enough to buy a beer! They must be paid well. You know millenials, they go to the highest bidder!

Each success is a step to the next great thing. Pharma's make a lot. But they spend a lot too.

Since you are in the industry, here are my thoughts.

I guess my biggest issue with the pharm industry is all the disclaimers they read off after every product ad on TV.

It seems like the solution may cause more problems than the illness. Makes one wonder how well the products are tested and how much gets approved without adequate data.

And now they are pushing drugs for problems that may occur as you get older. Will docs start prescribing drugs based on a potential problem?

I agree with healthy eating and exercise, and acknowledging a end of life point in time. Good for the states making it ease to pull the plug when you are ready, not when the "industry" decides.

PMJ

sorry, got it doubled up somehow.

Paul48

@PMJ
It wasn't on mine, and now it's gone.

Paul48

I'm afraid we've crossed into "beating a dead horse" territory. Let's just say that it goes on the list of "wrongs". There will never be an easy fix, so long as greed and money are the motivators.

SlamDunk

As with everything else it is also true for drugs-caveat emptor.
And, -an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

I agree, marketing medicine is foolish and listening to the side effects is enough to make me suddenly feel healthy. It is counter productive.

A husband and wife went to the pharmacy to pick up his Rx for Viagra. The wife was shocked at the cost of ten dollars per pill but then realized-"oh! this will only cost $30/yr."

Brewbeer

Greed and money are the driving forces behind the greatness of capitalism. In this country those who would de-emphasize greed and money are called socialists, and everyone knows that socialists are just communists by another name.

Paul48

Call me a socialist, or a communist, for that matter. It is truly a horrible vision of the future, that children can die from starvation, and cure-able diseases, for want of the "all mighty dollar". What's worse, is that we think this is the best we can do.

gschallert

PMJ said:

Health care in this country has been allowed to change from a public service to a business in the last 25-30 years.

Exactly. Health care in this country is about the bottom line and maximizing profits not the actual health of the country's citizens. I have close relatives who work as doctors and nurses (30+ years) as well as a cousin or two who work for big pharma in research. They all agree that health care should be socialized rather than private payer market driven. Gordon Gekko seems to be the poster boy for the healthcare industry, IMO.

Steamhead

SlamDunk said:

A husband and wife went to the pharmacy to pick up his Rx for Viagra. The wife was shocked at the cost of ten dollars per pill but then realized-"oh! this will only cost $30/yr."

BigRob

I think allowing medical care across state lines makes a lot of sense. I also agree there is not enough discussion on how to lower costs.

The bottom line is: this country needs an enema, or a revolution.

SWEI

Sailah said:

My dad is an ER doc, still practicing. He thinks one of the big problems, in addition to the fine points made above, is end of life decisions. A vast sum of money is spent on the the final twilight hours of a person's life.

ISTR on average, 50% of total lifetime medical costs occur in the last 2-3 years of life here in the US. There's the low-hanging fruit. I'll be politically incorrect and just say that we really do need Death Panels. If I end up in a position where I'm facing this I'd far rather have a panel of doctors and medical ethicists making that decision than have my family face some lawsuit-fearing, over-his-head-in-debt (for that fancy new diagnostic equipment) doctor and his business school overseers.

The Steam Whisperer said:

We've been hit with an 80% increase from Blue Cross. We are using high deductible policies with Medical savings accounts. It looks like the high deductible policies have taken the biggest hit.
...
we have found a potential alternative, Medi-share plans. It appears they can replace traditional Health insurance, and, from what I've read, are approved alternative in the "Obama-care" policies.

Same experience here. Blue Cross actually pulled out of our county and the remaining plans jumped 45+% in price, so we move to a group called Liberty Healthshare. I like the way they work, but it's not for everyone.