(02-05-2019, 01:22 PM)Adam2012 Wrote: (02-05-2019, 01:04 PM)wrong_box Wrote: One of the biggest problems of the cost of health care is big pharma. Big pharma charges ridiculous prices on many drugs. As mentioned earlier, my wife has two kinds of arthritis and takes a shot once a week. Each shot costs $1k but it only costs a few bucks to make it. They charge that much because they can. I'm all for businesses to make as much as they can, but there comes a point when making a profit becomes fleecing and price gouging . I'm not big on government putting their fat fingers in business, but big pharma has proved they can't police themselves, and charge ungodly prices to consumers out of pure greed, and therefore, need to be regulated
Well, which is it? You're not for business making all that it can? You're not big on government putting their fingers in business?
It seems that you want to advocate for regulations, and have given valid reasons why, but are too intimidated to do so because we always must think that whatever "free enterprise' does is ok and whatever government does is evil. Always.
Just because I don't like government putting their fat fingers in business, doesn't mean it's not warranted, as evidenced by my statement saying big pharma has proven they cant police themselves. I don't like it no, but somehow big pharma has to be reined in and stopped fleecing or gouging consumers by charging hundreds or thousands of dollars for medicines that only cost a few bucks to make. If it takes government intervention, so be it. If they would charge reasonable prices for all their meds, regulations wouldn't be needed
(02-05-2019, 01:41 PM)mikesez Wrote: (02-05-2019, 01:04 PM)wrong_box Wrote: One of the biggest problems of the cost of health care is big pharma. Big pharma charges ridiculous prices on many drugs. As mentioned earlier, my wife has two kinds of arthritis and takes a shot once a week. Each shot costs $1k but it only costs a few bucks to make it. They charge that much because they can. I'm all for businesses to make as much as they can, but there comes a point when making a profit becomes fleecing and price gouging . I'm not big on government putting their fat fingers in business, but big pharma has proved they can't police themselves, and charge ungodly prices to consumers out of pure greed, and therefore, need to be regulated
Your wife's experience serves a quick lesson on how the market for healthcare and prescription drugs works.
Arthritis can cause permanent damage to the joints and leave the affected person disabled and in need of reconstructive surgery.
In a free market, the buyer feels free to walk away from one supplier, and consider other suppliers, or consider going without.
But in this market, your wife will do none of those things unless her doctor advises her to do so.
Ergo, it is not a free market.
Even if you eliminated all of the regulations, it still would not be a free market.
Right but if they were regulated as to how much they could charge for the medicines, health care costs should decrease as insurance companies would not have to pay out so much
