The One Issue That Unites America — and Still Isn’t Fixed
Americans pay nearly three times more for prescription drugs than people in other developed countries. And it’s a problem that both parties agree needs to be fixed. Yet prices continue to climb. Andrea Jones-Rooy explains why.
Prescription costs are just one barrier to getting care. Insurance authorization battles are another.
Little John Cupp needed a heart procedure. His insurance company refused to authorize it. Three months later, he died of cardiac arrest. Little John’s tragic story raises key questions that we cover in: Could the US Ever Switch to Single-Payer Health Care? What would it take? What would we gain? And what would we stand to lose?
—Sharon McMahon, Editor-in-Chief
P.S. Next, we’re digging into food and farming.If you farm, if your family lost a farm, or if you have a story about how food policy affects your life, we want to hear it.
Pharma, big and small, is closely linked to Quarterly reports of earnings. Putting a cap io drug prices may fix the obvious issue but does not deal with the reality of several years of drug development for a single compound to hopefully increase earnings and the effort to appear always as profitable. Change quarterly earnings for all companies to no more than every 6 months. John Chipman
What if everyone just collectively got together and decided to opt out of health insurance? It would collapse the system and require something new to be built in its place, right? Is this a possible thing? A nationwide boycott against insurance companies? Maybe people could also use the money they would spend on premiums and instead donate to a fund to ensure medical professionals get paid and people continue to receive care? I would love to know your thoughts!