How About Political Reform over Health Reform

62% Disconnect between insured and uninsured in the US

and as you think about this Big PhARMA wants another 9% price increase as Medicare expects payment and service cuts.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. drug manufacturers have been raising their prices at the fastest clip since 1992, industry analysts say.

Wholesale prices for brand name prescription drugs have increased by about 9 percent in the last year, even as the industry has agreed to support Obama administration healthcare reforms that would cut the nation's drug costs by $8 billion, The New York Times reported Monday.

Drug makers say they need to raise prices to plow money back into research and development to find new drugs, contending they need to replace popular drugs whose patents will soon expire. But critics say the manufacturers are trying to raise the price bar before Congress passes reform measures aimed at curbing future drug spending.

"When we have major legislation anticipated, we see a run-up in price increases," Stephen Schondelmeyer, a University of Minnesota pharmaceutical economics professor, told the newspaper.

Joseph Newhouse, a Harvard University health economist, told the Times a similar pattern of unusual price increases happened in 2006 just before Congress added drug benefits to Medicare, when prices shot up by their widest margin in the six previous years.

"Price adjustments for our products have no connection to healthcare reform," said Merck spokesman Ron Rogers.

At the same time, Michelle Obama calls for healthcare reform but you have to ask what her definition is.  Mrs. Obama is a former hospital executive and this discussion hasn't even begun to go past drugs and insurance.  We aren't even close to discussing health care except some hairbrained idea to change doctor pay as a best bet to curb costs when the number of primary care doctors is decreasing over income.

Following on this I am distressed to learn that so many people with chronic health problems have to cut drugs because of cost or no insurance, but no one in mainstream medicine is there to educated them about what natural remedies can replace the drugs and help them get well. (This is why we designed our services and educational programs.)

See NYT article on this topic