Our
View: High cost medicine, bad news
Is
it any wonder that the elderly, the ill
and even just the recreational prescription
drug user are looking to Canada and Mexico
for their drug supply? The cost of prescription
drugs in the United States without coverage
can be astronomical for anything beyond
the basic, generic antibiotic or ointment.
For people who have a severe condition like
cancer or HIV the costs can beyond their
reach.
Is
this the kind of nation the United States
has become? A nation where the wealthy can
afford to get sick, but the poor cannot.
A nation where the elderly are thrown away
once they no longer work?
People
may call universal healthcare socialist
and counterproductive, but the truth is
it could be a lot cheaper to take care of
people before they are in the costly critical
care stage. By giving them medications to
prevent major problems like strokes and
heart disease a long stay in the hospital
could be avoided.
Some
of the money from the cost of medications
goes to funding more research, so instead
of pharmaceutical companies paying for their
own profit, we pay more so they can develop
more medications to rip us off. Does that
make any sense?
According
to an analyst on National Public Radio,
we also pay for medical research with our
taxes; meaning that consumers are paying
twice and pharmaceutical companies are reaping
the profits. This kind of profiteering is
what separates the Canadians from the boys.
That
is, how can our companies claim to be there
for research and for helping the ill and
the elderly, take extra money for their
prescriptions and then get double paid for
research. This is the great American way,
right?
So
while Bush gives his speeches about Medicare
and the Senate and the House argue over
which bill to pass, we should all remember
that the maple leaf nation has opened its
doors and is more than happy to take less.
And we're willing to bet someone is still
making a profit somewhere.
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