Who here "opposes" this simple Sanders' proposal?

[Iceweasel]

One of Sanders' proposal is not only sane but doable if only congress was not a bunch of self-centered cowards...The proposal is to compel Medicare to openly negotiate with big pharmaceuticals companies for lower prices based on volume.....

Who would lose if this proposal were to become a reality? Big pharma's CEOs and board members who no longer could upgrade to more modern Lear jets every few years.

==========
They don't HAVE to compel Medicare.

Medicare would LOVE to price shop.

But Mr. Boehner insisted on putting that in there for the benefit of the pharmaceutical companies when he negotiated Obamacare with Obama.

BTW Obama gave Boehner almost everything he wanted and then Boehner pretends he hates it all and doesn't know how it possibly got written up that way.

What a fuckin' lie. Boehner was involved in creating Medicare just as much as Obama was.

Why must you state such an obvious lie? No Republicans were even allowed to even discuss Obamacare. It was passed by political chicanery and nary a Republican had a damn say in anything about it!

=====
YOU are the fucking LIAR.

Boehner and Obama negotiated the Affordable Care Act, known to neanderthals as Obamacare.

Negotiated? Look up that word because you have no fucking idea what it means!

How many Republicans voted for Obamacare?

Are you that clueless?

=======
How many Republicans voted for it is IRRELEVANT to the FACT that Boehner negotiated the Affordable Health Care Act with Obama.

It was on the TV news every night almost. They would often show Boehner leaving the Oval Office as they did a voice over about any progress.

You are astoundingly ignorant.

And you have as of yet supported your assertion.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Nope. The company HQ is probably somewhere in New Jersey, but the manufacturing has been outsourced.

==========
And now they have probably " merged " with some SOCIALIST company in a SOCIALIST COUNTRY and no longer pay American taxes even though they are still headquartered here.

Walgreens is gone too. Another tax dodging company. They want the U.S. Market but don't want to pay their share of maintaining the country they profit from.

Pay their share? Oh, you mean grabbing their ankles while you liberals fuck the life out of them.

=======
Iceweasel is a typical Republican ... convinced everyone is out to fuck him and steal from him.

No one works for their money but HIM.

I am so glad I was raised by humans instead of Republicans and that Iceweasel isn't a member of my family.

Willy is the typical internet tard. He plays with his willy online and thinks people aren't laughing at him. I'm not a party member so he tripped over his little pecker right out of the gate.

Who said no one works but me? And no, I'm not a member of a pond scum family. Thank God.
Get some air Willy, you need it.

========
The bitterness of your posts says you ARE a Republican.

I've been on various forums since 1984 before the Internet when we had BBS systems and Republicans always are bitter jealous people.

ALWAYS

Yeah, we Republicans can't stand those rich people and want their money, that's how jealous of them we are.

 

[jon_berzerk]

One of Sanders' proposal is not only sane but doable if only congress was not a bunch of self-centered cowards...The proposal is to compel Medicare to openly negotiate with big pharmaceuticals companies for lower prices based on volume.....

Who would lose if this proposal were to become a reality? Big pharma's CEOs and board members who no longer could upgrade to more modern Lear jets every few years.

why are they not doing that already

most insurances do for scripts and medical visits

big government does move slowly

big government has little or no regard for how much

money it blows or wastes

and until you put a handle on that nothing works

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

That is funny. I don't understand some of these drug commercials to begin with.

Cialis used to show these two people in their bathtubs on top of an apartment roof or something. They are holding hands and smiling. My first thought is, why would that make me want to buy your product???

If you want me to buy your product, shouldn't you show this couple inside their apartment instead of on top of a roof? Show me the headboard banging against the wall and a midget swinging from a chandelier or something. Then I might say "I want me some of that!"

At the very least, shouldn't these two people be in the same bathtub?

I don't get it.

The commercial itself is meaningless. It's the disclaimer that attracts customers:
"Warning. If your penis turns into Godzilla and starts destroying small villages see your physician immediately."

Nobody realizes that disclaimer about "If your erection lasts more than 4 hours, see a physician". When you do, all he or she will do is show you a nude photo of Hillary and you will be cured instantly.

If it lasts more than 4 hours, I'm not calling my doctor, I'm calling some of my old girlfriends.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

That is funny. I don't understand some of these drug commercials to begin with.

Cialis used to show these two people in their bathtubs on top of an apartment roof or something. They are holding hands and smiling. My first thought is, why would that make me want to buy your product???

If you want me to buy your product, shouldn't you show this couple inside their apartment instead of on top of a roof? Show me the headboard banging against the wall and a midget swinging from a chandelier or something. Then I might say "I want me some of that!"

At the very least, shouldn't these two people be in the same bathtub?

I don't get it.

The commercial itself is meaningless. It's the disclaimer that attracts customers:
"Warning. If your penis turns into Godzilla and starts destroying small villages see your physician immediately."

I just don't understand it.

They sell another drug (I forget for what) and it shows a guy riding his bicycle with his family. WTF stopped you from riding your bike in the first place? Or they show a doctor on a public street with a mirror, and people are walking up to it and acting like they bought a new wardrobe or something. They are looking at their cholesterol level in the mirror.

So I went to my bedroom mirror to see if I could tell where my cholesterol was. All I noticed is my hair needed brushing.

It's all about an image or branding. It's illegal to advertize tobacco or liquor but perfectly acceptable to dupe people into demanding drugs from the doctor without knowing much more than a identity. I suspect the right hands are being greased.

You obviously have ever watched a sporting event on TV.

I really don't watch anything but football and zip through the ads. I looked into it and found:

Hard Liquor Biz Pushes for TV Ads
Contrary to common perception, there is no government ban on hard liquor commercials on television, as there is for cigarettes. The ongoing ban is a voluntary one that dates back to the introduction of the medium.

And it is not completely enforced: Canadian distilled drink giant Seagram broke the barrier with a cable commercial in 1996, and since then, the industry has seen broadcast ads as a distinct possibility. But distilled drink makers spent under $1 million on television ads last year, out of a total of $322 million in advertising expenditures.

Probably afraid of getting sued if somebody uses their product and gets into a car accident while they're drunk.

 

[Care4all]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

How would you force companies or countries to do that?

I wouldn't force countries to do that...but PHARMA could do that.....and not give as big a discount as they do, to ALL OTHER NATIONS for their purchases so that they do not have to charge us so much to make up the difference..... Right now, we Americans are paying for ALL of these other countries discounts through the extremely high prices we have to pay while giving the discounts to all other Nations....

if Pharma negotiated slightly higher prices with these other Nations, then our prices could come down in price....

What can the other Nations do? Not buy any?

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

That is funny. I don't understand some of these drug commercials to begin with.

Cialis used to show these two people in their bathtubs on top of an apartment roof or something. They are holding hands and smiling. My first thought is, why would that make me want to buy your product???

If you want me to buy your product, shouldn't you show this couple inside their apartment instead of on top of a roof? Show me the headboard banging against the wall and a midget swinging from a chandelier or something. Then I might say "I want me some of that!"

At the very least, shouldn't these two people be in the same bathtub?

I don't get it.

The commercial itself is meaningless. It's the disclaimer that attracts customers:
"Warning. If your penis turns into Godzilla and starts destroying small villages see your physician immediately."

Nobody realizes that disclaimer about "If your erection lasts more than 4 hours, see a physician". When you do, all he or she will do is show you a nude photo of Hillary and you will be cured instantly.

If it lasts more than 4 hours, I'm not calling my doctor, I'm calling some of my old girlfriends.

Of you could do like Jeff Foxworthy said he would do. Go to the hospital, put the gown on backwards and walk around the emergency department!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

How would you force companies or countries to do that?

I wouldn't force countries to do that...but PHARMA could do that.....and not give as big a discount as they do, to ALL OTHER NATIONS for their purchases so that they do not have to charge us so much to make up the difference..... Right now, we Americans are paying for ALL of these other countries discounts through the extremely high prices we have to pay while giving the discounts to all other Nations....

if Pharma negotiated slightly higher prices with these other Nations, then our prices could come down in price....

What can the other Nations do? Not buy any?

We pay the highest price because of our government. It's our government that requires these tens of millions of dollars in paperwork, testing and legal protection. Other countries don't have all this red tape so of course they pay less.

If a drug is manufactured in another country and undergoes their standards, they are still not good enough for the US and they have to still invest those tens of millions of dollars before our government will allow it to be sold here.

 

[eagle1462010]

One of Sanders' proposal is not only sane but doable if only congress was not a bunch of self-centered cowards...The proposal is to compel Medicare to openly negotiate with big pharmaceuticals companies for lower prices based on volume.....

Who would lose if this proposal were to become a reality? Big pharma's CEOs and board members who no longer could upgrade to more modern Lear jets every few years.

Tell that to the politicians from both sides of the Isle................the one's who pick the winners and losers based on campaign contributions..................

A very long time ago our Gov't was only a ref in the game.....................Now they decide the winners and losers....................

You lost me. Which island are we talking about and why are the politicians there in the first place?

Your sarcasm deserves Karma.

 

[eagle1462010]

Ten Thousand Commandments: Federal Regulation - The Updates

 

[flacaltenn]

I pretty sure that the insurers already beat the crap out of Pharma and the retailers for reductions.

If you're gonna "negotiate" --- that's gotta be for each drug individually. Because SOME drugs are only applicable to 10,000 patients or less. You start beating on THOSE drugs -- and folks are gonna die. Because NO pharma will bring a low-volume drug to the market. Another example of socialists not understanding how stuff really works.

It's always a fictional view of a perfectly simple world, where stuff just magically gets willed into existence and costs whatever "good folks with the best intentions" want them to cost.

The future is really in "custom drugs".. Targeted to characteristics of your genome. So this "negotiation" is gonna cost a trainload if it's done for 10 or 100 patients at a time..

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic with crap insurance so I pay for all my medications with cash.

Insulin kept getting more and more expensive and I couldn't figure out why. I called the manufacturer, searched the internet, but could get no satisfactory answer. Then I stumbled on it:

I asked a pharmacist about it at my grocery store, and she couldn't give me an answer either, but she did say that Walmart had a generic insulin for much cheaper. I'm not crazy about taking Walmart insulin, so I discarded the idea.

When the prices increased again, I went to investigate. What I found is that this generic insulin was not generic at all. It was made by Lilly--the same manufacture of the insulin I was using, but put an ® on the package to identify Walmart's generic drug company name--Reliance.

It was less than half the price I was paying for my insulin, but made by the exact same people. I'm still purchasing it today. So what happened?

What happened is that Walmart cornered Lilly into selling their insulin cheaper because Walmart has a huge prescription customer base. Lilly in return increased the price of their insulin everywhere else, and that's why it was getting so expensive. It was a dirty deal between Lilly and Walmart.

The reason I wrote this story is to point out what would happen if drug companies would be pressured into lowering their prices; they would only increase their prices on their other products, or on the same product if let's say the deal was made for Medicare only. We would still be paying.

It's like Commie Care--cost shifting, but no real solution.

One of the differences is that Walmart is structured so that it can PASS ON the savings that it negotiated to consumers. You don't know what deals WalGreens/CVS/RiteAid have or what they take off the top. But they could never pass AS MUCH of the savings on to you. I'm sure they also have "deals".

Insurance companies also beat up the Pharmas and retailers. The insurance cost is typically less than a 1/3 of the "retail cost" at the pharmacy counter for the uninsured..

What is needed is stop with the special deals. Put consumers back into seeking the lowest price and let the retailers compete for the business. It's like reading the coverage bill from you last visit. Doctor ASKED for $225, the insurance company ALLOWED $95 and you're responsible for the deductible, copay, and OOP. So if you walked in WITHOUT insurance -- the bill would be twice. If enough consumers bargained for terms directly, You'd get that visit for $95 without paying the insurers to go beat the doctors up for you..

I disagree because I'm a truck driver, and I have first hand information on how Walmart works because we have customers that make products for them.

Walmart is constantly hounding their suppliers for lower prices. Walmart is huge in this country, and when they say jump, you ask how high?

In response to Walmart demands, our customers who manufacture products for Walmart go down the line to hound the suppliers that they depend on to make parts for their products.

It's like an assembly line. Our customer makes widgets. But they don't make the entire widget, they only make the plastic housing. The parts that go onto the housing are made by other companies. Then they may need foam for the widgets, so they search for the cheapest foam manufacturers either here or abroad because that's what Walmart demands.

This is what I believe what happened in the Lilly case. If Lilly didn't find a way to give Walmart a huge deal, then Walmart would seek other companies that would cater to their demands.

I didn't disagree with ANY of that.. I have clients who deal with WalMart as well. One of our clients used to do all the product shelf labeling, deli scaling, and point of sale equipment. My only point was -- that Walmart is structured so if they GET those deals and beat suppliers into submission --- the consumers get a bigger cut of the savings than they would if WalGreens or CVS made the same deal.

And that thinking that the government would be MORE diligent or effective at strong-arming the suppliers is just pure fantasy. Unless of course, the government uses its POWER to force and coerce the deal. Like threatening to unionize their operation by force ---- for example. Or forcing them to change employment contracts. It's uglier than when Walmart does it..

I totally agree. Democrat government taxes people into submission. It's really much worse than what Walmart does. Just look at the taxes included in the price of a pack of cigarettes. It's ridiculously taxed on every level to the point you pay more taxes for the cigarettes than the product.

It "would be uglier" if the Govt did the strong-arming. Dont' disagree with anything you said. You can see all the leverage the Govt would bring down on suppliers. Edicts on wages, quotas, unions, OSHA, IRS --- the opportunities for blackmail are virtually endless. THAT'S why guys like Sanders are not cute and cuddly GrandPa.. They are dangerous fanatics that would USE all that power to warp the marketplace...

 

[flacaltenn]

Insurance companies do one thing: pay the bills. That's it. They do nothing different than our government does with our social programs. In fact, our government has hired private insurance to do their billing for them because they are so efficient at it.

Until Commie Care came along, health insurance companies made a reasonable profit, but not record profits like companies outside of the healthcare industry. They were between 2% and 9% I believe.

Insurance companies are not the major problem with healthcare costs.

Actually -- they have wrestled the doctors, other providers and pharma into submission. Doctors no longer are "raking it in" and many are retiring early.. Then you get a Sanders that comes along and PRETENDS that the govt is more competent at arm-twisting. And I guess they are if they can THREATEN your business.

But it's not like the Insurance companies aren't screwing the doctors, hospitals and even big Pharma every chance they get. Since O-care -- Tenn has been taken over by BlueCrossBlueShield. Effectively now a monopoly. Can raise prices all they want. And tell doctors to just bang it if they won't take their reimbursement rates.

The exact same is going on with government patients as well.

Medicare and Medicaid typically pay about 2/3 of the bill to the providers of their patients. To recoup those losses, doctors and facilities increase the cost of their services to private pay and privately insured patients. This is one of the reasons premiums have had a steady pace of increases the last few decades.

If you do a search on medical facilities that closed down, you would probably find that a majority of them closed down in poorer areas where most of the clients were government patients. The facilities couldn't recoup the losses because they had such a small amount of private insured patients.

So the solution to the problem is for government to pay their providers in full. But how could they do that? They would have to severely increase taxes such as Medicare deductions on your paycheck.

If that took place, then working people would revolt. They would elect leaders that would change the system such as a private insured system. That would take the control away from the government and nobody is about to do that.

My dentist charges me half the price that they charge insurance companies. I think this supports what you state.

I bet if we paid cash and did not use the government or insurance, the price for medical would be affordable.

This is true which is why I'm for a mandatory Health Savings account. It would be deducted from your paycheck like a tax, except it would go towards your medical care. You have to use that account first before insurance kicks in.

Insurance companies for years have been complaining about paperwork costs. You see a doctor for $150.00, and the paperwork goes to the insurance companies who in return have to create paperwork to send back along with the check. Then that charge may only apply to your deductible or the insurance company pays part of it.

By eliminating all that, the doctor could do with less staff, it would bypass the insurance company who can use their resources for much larger claims, and the price would go down.

It could be a small deduction let's say 2% for younger workers, and maybe 3% or so for middle-aged workers. That money will add up fast, and you could use it like a debit card where you just swipe it at the end of your doctors visits, the ER or the clinic.

That's really great idea until reality kicks in. Last year, I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy to check on some issues I was having. They claimed they were "routine". The bill was over $10,000 for a 90 minute hospital visit. So much for my HSA, which I have already! My share of the bill was over $4000. Thanks Obamacare!

The sad reality is --- even with O-care SUBSIDIZING insurance costs for low-income folks -- they are getting the crappiest of policies under O-Care. Those "bronze" plans ALL have deductibles over $3000 per person. And all that BRAGGING about how many are covered is not fooling a soul. In fact, many like me had BETTER plans under professional groups (now illegal) or MSAs (now mostly illegal) and are counted "as newly covered" under O-Care. Bunch of propaganda.

When the penalties finally kick in with the employer mandates and the bankruptcies start to pile up for all those "fortunate" newly covered working poor --- it's gonna make risky home loans look like a small bookkeeping error.

 

[flacaltenn]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

You really have an issue with informing folks about pharmaceuticals that are available to them? I certainly don't understand that position. People NEED to be proactive about their own health. AND informed. And the 20 mins with your Doc is certainly NOT all you need to know in a year.

It's ridiculous to ban Pharma from advertising products. Unless you live in a country where you're NOT ALLOWED to receive medications that aren't "covered" under your single payer.. They don't WANT informed patients. They want one size fits all and case numbers -- not participants in their own healthcare.

And the reason research and FDA approval costs are re-couped in the US is because those compliance costs are HIGHER here. And the US will not accept the equivalent "compliance, safety testing" results from other countries.

 

[Care4all]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

How would you force companies or countries to do that?

I wouldn't force countries to do that...but PHARMA could do that.....and not give as big a discount as they do, to ALL OTHER NATIONS for their purchases so that they do not have to charge us so much to make up the difference..... Right now, we Americans are paying for ALL of these other countries discounts through the extremely high prices we have to pay while giving the discounts to all other Nations....

if Pharma negotiated slightly higher prices with these other Nations, then our prices could come down in price....

What can the other Nations do? Not buy any?

We pay the highest price because of our government. It's our government that requires these tens of millions of dollars in paperwork, testing and legal protection. Other countries don't have all this red tape so of course they pay less.

If a drug is manufactured in another country and undergoes their standards, they are still not good enough for the US and they have to still invest those tens of millions of dollars before our government will allow it to be sold here.

I wouldn't ease on that testing ONE IOTA, they already kill hundreds if not thousands with their drugs rushed to the market too quickly....haven't you seen the hundreds of TV Ads over the years for class action law suits for the people they have permanently harmed? Don't be a fool and start barking the PHARMA Industries talking points. They spend more on advertising than that paperwork, as you call it.

And what the medicare part D did was make it against the law to buy Drugs from Canada that were THESE COMPANy's DRUGS, that they shipped and sold to Canada for 70% or so less than they sell them to Americans for, that have ALREADY gone through the trials and testing in the USA....

before part D, our State used to bus our seniors over in to Canada to buy those American tested drugs from Canada who purchased them from PHARMA in America and had them shipped to them fom the USA....

and our citizens still bought them from them for 50% less in Canada than these same pharma companies were charging these seniors in the USA.... and that was bull crud!!!

And what about your post 110? Where you sent me to read.... YOU AGREED with me on our drugs cost more BECAUSE these other nations got a huge discount, like Walmart did on your insulin...thus insulin going up for the rest of the Nation...

Soooooo, if these other Nations got less of a bulk discount, then we in America would not have to fund the profits with our extremely high prices here, that pharma lost on the discounted Nation's drugs.

 

[Care4all]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

You really have an issue with informing folks about pharmaceuticals that are available to them? I certainly don't understand that position. People NEED to be proactive about their own health. AND informed. And the 20 mins with your Doc is certainly NOT all you need to know in a year.

It's ridiculous to ban Pharma from advertising products. Unless you live in a country where you're NOT ALLOWED to receive medications that aren't "covered" under your single payer.. They don't WANT informed patients. They want one size fits all and case numbers -- not participants in their own healthcare.

And the reason research and FDA approval costs are re-couped in the US is because those compliance costs are HIGHER here. And the US will not accept the equivalent "compliance, safety testing" results from other countries.

Absolutely I have a problem with Pharma advertising Directly to the patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is ILLEGAL in ALL other Nations in the world but one, BECAUSE of the harm it ultimately causes.

the Doctors should choose what drugs their patients need, not some dreamy ad directed at the patients....

We've turned in to a PILL POPPING Nation!!!

 

[flacaltenn]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

You really have an issue with informing folks about pharmaceuticals that are available to them? I certainly don't understand that position. People NEED to be proactive about their own health. AND informed. And the 20 mins with your Doc is certainly NOT all you need to know in a year.

It's ridiculous to ban Pharma from advertising products. Unless you live in a country where you're NOT ALLOWED to receive medications that aren't "covered" under your single payer.. They don't WANT informed patients. They want one size fits all and case numbers -- not participants in their own healthcare.

And the reason research and FDA approval costs are re-couped in the US is because those compliance costs are HIGHER here. And the US will not accept the equivalent "compliance, safety testing" results from other countries.

Absolutely I have a problem with Pharma advertising Directly to the patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is ILLEGAL in ALL other Nations in the world but one, BECAUSE of the harm it ultimately causes.

the Doctors should choose what drugs their patients need, not some dreamy ad directed at the patients....

We've turned in to a PILL POPPING Nation!!!

We're a pill-popping nation BECAUSE the doctors prescribe this crap.. It's robbing folks of self - defense to not allow patients to hear the BIGGER TRUTHS that appear in those ads. Those ads honestly INFORM folks of associated effects that you're beleaguered doctor never mentioned. And YOU probably didn't read the small print 5 page inset from your Pharmacist. Goes both ways. MOST PEOPLE are appalled by the honest disclosure of side effects and observed conditions and don't want the risks once they hear of them.

And the TV ads are ALWAYS including the message "to see our 4 page Ad in XXX Magazine for more details. It's all about INFORMED consumers. That's all it is.

 

[the_human_being]

 

[Care4all]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

You really have an issue with informing folks about pharmaceuticals that are available to them? I certainly don't understand that position. People NEED to be proactive about their own health. AND informed. And the 20 mins with your Doc is certainly NOT all you need to know in a year.

It's ridiculous to ban Pharma from advertising products. Unless you live in a country where you're NOT ALLOWED to receive medications that aren't "covered" under your single payer.. They don't WANT informed patients. They want one size fits all and case numbers -- not participants in their own healthcare.

And the reason research and FDA approval costs are re-couped in the US is because those compliance costs are HIGHER here. And the US will not accept the equivalent "compliance, safety testing" results from other countries.

Absolutely I have a problem with Pharma advertising Directly to the patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is ILLEGAL in ALL other Nations in the world but one, BECAUSE of the harm it ultimately causes.

the Doctors should choose what drugs their patients need, not some dreamy ad directed at the patients....

We've turned in to a PILL POPPING Nation!!!

We're a pill-popping nation BECAUSE the doctors prescribe this crap.. It's robbing folks of self - defense to not allow patients to hear the BIGGER TRUTHS that appear in those ads. Those ads honestly INFORM folks of associated effects that you're beleaguered doctor never mentioned. And YOU probably didn't read the small print 5 page inset from your Pharmacist. Goes both ways. MOST PEOPLE are appalled by the honest disclosure of side effects and observed conditions and don't want the risks once they hear of them.

And the TV ads are ALWAYS including the message "to see our 4 page Ad in XXX Magazine for more details. It's all about INFORMED consumers. That's all it is.

They don't spend millions upon millions in advertising dollars as a community service to inform you.I spent 5 years in marketing and it is for increased sales and increased sales only...

The doctors should know what is right for the patient without pressure from the patient to want these dreamy promising drugs....

It is against the Law EVERYWHERE for a REASON.....

 

[flacaltenn]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

You really have an issue with informing folks about pharmaceuticals that are available to them? I certainly don't understand that position. People NEED to be proactive about their own health. AND informed. And the 20 mins with your Doc is certainly NOT all you need to know in a year.

It's ridiculous to ban Pharma from advertising products. Unless you live in a country where you're NOT ALLOWED to receive medications that aren't "covered" under your single payer.. They don't WANT informed patients. They want one size fits all and case numbers -- not participants in their own healthcare.

And the reason research and FDA approval costs are re-couped in the US is because those compliance costs are HIGHER here. And the US will not accept the equivalent "compliance, safety testing" results from other countries.

Absolutely I have a problem with Pharma advertising Directly to the patient!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is ILLEGAL in ALL other Nations in the world but one, BECAUSE of the harm it ultimately causes.

the Doctors should choose what drugs their patients need, not some dreamy ad directed at the patients....

We've turned in to a PILL POPPING Nation!!!

We're a pill-popping nation BECAUSE the doctors prescribe this crap.. It's robbing folks of self - defense to not allow patients to hear the BIGGER TRUTHS that appear in those ads. Those ads honestly INFORM folks of associated effects that you're beleaguered doctor never mentioned. And YOU probably didn't read the small print 5 page inset from your Pharmacist. Goes both ways. MOST PEOPLE are appalled by the honest disclosure of side effects and observed conditions and don't want the risks once they hear of them.

And the TV ads are ALWAYS including the message "to see our 4 page Ad in XXX Magazine for more details. It's all about INFORMED consumers. That's all it is.

They don't spend millions upon millions in advertising dollars as a community service to inform you.I spent 5 years in marketing and it is for increased sales and increased sales only...

The doctors should know what is right for the patient without pressure from the patient to want these dreamy promising drugs....

It is against the Law EVERYWHERE for a REASON.....

There is no real reason to make it against the law. In fact the law REQUIRES stringent labeling and consumer info for all those products. Folks with psoriasis might NOT know that a pill can clear them up. Or folks struggling with cholesterol levels or diabetes should know their options. I told you --- it's against the law in single -payer countries because they DONT WANT informed consumers mucking up their production line medical practices.

The freedom to be responsible for how you cope with a condition is important to me. Because I've had too many doctors (specialists even) waste my money trying to take the "preferred route" to treating a condition. They do that because THEY are not the ones coping with the problem and that is maybe the cheapest route to some level of improvement. Maybe you want MORE than "some improvement".. Maybe you don't want to waste time with fixes that have nasty side effects -- on the HOPE you wont experience them.

They would rather you just take a barbiturate rather than some other drug (or procedure) under which you can still do your job. That's YOUR decision --- not theirs. Because their "opinion" is not the only opinion and they don't know you as well as you do.. You might not want to WAIT to see if the "common path" works for you.

Trust me -- if parents or family come down with some difficult condition -- you're all of sudden gonna turn into an informed consumer and know the options. Even the ones not one of their doctors have discussed. And you SHOULD bring that up during the treatment planning.

 

[elektra]

Kill the Advertising, like all other Nations....

And why not raise the prices slightly on all the other countries that buy their drugs from Pharma at a discount of 10 times less than we buy our drugs from Pharma....?

In other words, why should Americans cover all the R & D costs for the rest of the world who also buys these drugs, through our higher prices and through our taxes that are given for all the R & D?

It should be a shared expense, not ALL on our shoulders for everyone else who buys them.

How would you force companies or countries to do that?

I wouldn't force countries to do that...but PHARMA could do that.....and not give as big a discount as they do, to ALL OTHER NATIONS for their purchases so that they do not have to charge us so much to make up the difference..... Right now, we Americans are paying for ALL of these other countries discounts through the extremely high prices we have to pay while giving the discounts to all other Nations....

if Pharma negotiated slightly higher prices with these other Nations, then our prices could come down in price....

What can the other Nations do? Not buy any?

We pay the highest price because of our government. It's our government that requires these tens of millions of dollars in paperwork, testing and legal protection. Other countries don't have all this red tape so of course they pay less.

If a drug is manufactured in another country and undergoes their standards, they are still not good enough for the US and they have to still invest those tens of millions of dollars before our government will allow it to be sold here.

I wouldn't ease on that testing ONE IOTA, they already kill hundreds if not thousands with their drugs rushed to the market too quickly....haven't you seen the hundreds of TV Ads over the years for class action law suits for the people they have permanently harmed? Don't be a fool and start barking the PHARMA Industries talking points. They spend more on advertising than that paperwork, as you call it.

And what the medicare part D did was make it against the law to buy Drugs from Canada that were THESE COMPANy's DRUGS, that they shipped and sold to Canada for 70% or so less than they sell them to Americans for, that have ALREADY gone through the trials and testing in the USA....

before part D, our State used to bus our seniors over in to Canada to buy those American tested drugs from Canada who purchased them from PHARMA in America and had them shipped to them fom the USA....

and our citizens still bought them from them for 50% less in Canada than these same pharma companies were charging these seniors in the USA.... and that was bull crud!!!

And what about your post 110? Where you sent me to read.... YOU AGREED with me on our drugs cost more BECAUSE these other nations got a huge discount, like Walmart did on your insulin...thus insulin going up for the rest of the Nation...

Soooooo, if these other Nations got less of a bulk discount, then we in America would not have to fund the profits with our extremely high prices here, that pharma lost on the discounted Nation's drugs.

I did not hear about the drug rushed to market that killed thousands, which one was that?