The truth is quite disturbing

“The Truth About the Drug Companies” by Dr. Marcia Angell provides insight into what is becoming if it is not already, America’s most complex and profitable industries, the drug industry. One thought which constantly reoccurred in my mind was how has this not been regulated, health, especially for the disadvantaged is not something that should be able to be treated like any other new product, something easy enough to manipulate for profit. When I read Angell’s passage regarding the top 50 drugs used by the elderly, one of the most economically restricted groups in America, was nearly $1,500 for a year supply I was deeply disturbed.

It made me think of Michael Moore’s “Sicko” scene in which weekly buses of Americans (many elderly) were driven into Canada just to refill the prescriptions they needed to function and live. I used to work in a doctor’s office and pharmaceutical reps would come by regularly. They all dressed in elegant clothing, were young, attractive and sold basically the same products. It’s disheartening to know that medicine, well being and health is an industry like any other.

Today, more and more, people are being asked to take more individual responsibility for their health care, including paying larger co pays and more deductibles. With this being the case, the industry should be regulated to the point where a drug like Claritin cannot have its price increased thirteen times. Maybe people are willing to pay a certain amount for health and life, but they should not have to. And many are not able to.

Angell describes the elderly as being the biggest victims of the health industry. Medicare is crumbling and more and more is asked out of pocket. It is a testament to how much we value our elderly in this society, which is not much at all. This is all the more frustrating if we believe Angell’s statement that only a handful of the drugs which have been produced in the last few years only a few new important drugs have been created, the rest are simply copies with slightly different formulas, different names, and astronomically different prices. Health and Drugs seem to be an industry like any other, but I don’t think they should be.