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U.S. insulin costs per patient nearly doubled from 2012 to 2016, study finds
The cost of insulin for treating Type 1 diabetes in the United States nearly doubled over a recent five-year period, underscoring a national outcry over rising drug prices, according to a new analysis.
A patient with Type 1 diabetes incurred annual insulin costs of $5,705, on average, in 2016. The average cost was roughly half that, at $2,864 per patient, in 2012, according to a report released on Tuesday by the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
The figures represent the combined amount paid by a patient and their health plan for the medicine and do not reflect rebates paid at a later date.
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U.S. Insulin Costs Nearly Doubled From 2012 to 2016
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You will gain money by a speculation or lottery.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 23 2019, @04:55PM (12 children)
I work in healthcare now and have seen things like this happen. It's not just insulin.
What we have here is not a problem of either technology or supply, except in a few rare cases. It's purely a political issue. Goods and services have varying degrees of elasticity in the demand for each; the lower the elasticity, the more the supplier/consumer relationship approaches a hostage situation and, in my view, the less then "invisible hand of the Free Market" should be allowed to interfere with it.
People are quite literally being held up in a "your money or your life" situation, and very often it's both with some degree of lag in the forfeit of one or another. The only solution is to change the entire paradigm of healthcare in the US, and there is absolutely no reason we couldn't do it European-style except greed, greed, greed. Even the excuse that the US is huge doesn't hold water; this is a *perfect* opportunity for all the states' rights people to show how a minimal set of federal guidelines and a path that ultimately ends up at the fed for the collection of the money would work (my prediction: the worst states, all the red ones, will do the bare minimum, but they WILL be forced to do it).
But no. Profits over people. Mama has to die slowly in agony, *after* we're all homeless and cold and hungry, because otherwise think of the Jeorghb Creatiz (TM) not getting their fair share!
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @06:56PM (1 child)
Yup, but too many US citizens think reigning in wealth inequality will hurt their small business. It is so ridiculous, yay propaganda! Boo education!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @07:09PM
I don't believe many people are thinking that. Instead they are thinking the government is full of incompetent buffoons whose best skills are lying and scamming.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday January 23 2019, @09:35PM (3 children)
For the life of me, I can't understand why people like these (and people who know them) vote for/against the party that wants to tear down/establish universal healthcare in the US.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @10:32PM (2 children)
Perhaps you value (at least the appearance of) security over freedom?
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 23 2019, @11:24PM (1 child)
Let's see you find your "freedom" scrounging for scraps out of a dumpster in january when it's below freezing outside, asshole.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @11:41PM
Don't get your point. Also, everyone I know who went homeless went to California or New Orleans where it is much easier.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @10:52PM (2 children)
Which European style?
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 23 2019, @11:26PM (1 child)
Nearly all of it? Just about the entire EU and the Scandinavian nations in particular do this the right way.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday January 24 2019, @01:30AM
Instead of "European" you could say OECD or "developed world" perhaps.
Those of us who live in Oceania have proper healthcare too. In fact, when I was in Australia on business once I though I was having a heart attack. I could not have had better care anywhere, and there was no charge, because why would there be?
My boss enquired if the company's insurance should get in touch with St. Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne and was told no, they don't have a collections department, so they would be no-one to give the money to anyway.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 23 2019, @11:39PM (1 child)
What this problem needs is a non-profit company or cooperative producing and distribution insulin for a reasonable price.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday January 24 2019, @01:32AM
Or, proper, taxpayer funded healthcare, like the civilised world has.
(Score: 2) by dry on Thursday January 24 2019, @07:08AM
Basically how it works in Canada. The feds collects and distributes money, the Provinces (and Territories) run their healthcare according to the minimal guidelines from the feds. The Provinces also do some of the financing. As the feds can't force the Provinces to do healthcare, the carrot works well, along with the voters liking public healthcare.
Actually government healthcare started at the Provincial level, back when farmers often voted socialist, at least in the Provincial elections.