Seems to me that they are assuming alot – just because one went up and the other went down, doesn’t necessarily mean one caused the other. Maybe people were becoming more educated on self-care so they didn’t go to the physician as much, or maybe more people were avoiding the dr and hospitals due to the cost, or maybe more people were dying from the side-effects of the prescription drugs so there were less people returning to the doctors and hospitals ! Maybe the prescription drug use was up due to all the advertising and there was no cause/effect on use of doctors or hospitals.
Could be an endless number of possibilities – I don’t see how the conclusion stated here is automatic.
When prescription prices spike, the general public gets boned as medical carriers impose higher co-pays. These providers must have some negotiated, discounted rates with the drug manufacturers so they aren’t paying big bucks; they’re just passing along costs to the consumer Just look at the profits the HMO’s and other med providers have been reporting for years. The medical professionals who have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in themselves and take all the risks of working on whacked out people are getting increasingly less compensation while some jerk-off CEO of a healthcare company gets millions for screwing everybody. Does anybody else see a dangerous trend in this country? Just yesterday the jerk-off oil execs sat smuggly before congress justifying their record shattering profits while they rear-end the public.
You nailed it. One must always ask the question of questions “cui bono?” or as all you Latin scholars know, “who benefits?” It’s a well known fact that whoever pays someone to conduct a “study” virtually always gets the results they want; if they don’t they fire the consulting firm and find someone else who will play along with them.
Oil cos are public companies. Just teachers unions alone own over 30%.
Most people with good gene pools own some. Do you?
Some facts, small brain:
The average net woth of members of congress who you elected is $10,000,000.
The average ball player makes $2,500,000.
Oil Co CEO’s have advanced degrees and have paid their dues out in the field.
You spite them for the life of hard work and sacrafice???? Who the hell are you?
You probably think penalizing the oil companies will produce more oil and cheaper gas, huh?
Do you know it takes $1,000,000,000 to drill in the deep-water gulf (the only area open top exploration) and that’s a gamble.
Get a life and try to learn facts before you sling mud, small-brain.
Nice tirade. Unfortunately most of it isn’t on point to the issue. And don’t talk to me about oil executives who “paid their dues out in the field”. I have a problem with people who keep doing the same thing, producing the same results, and getting big salaries regardless of economic pressures that affect mortal men and women. I’m glad you’re so happy with the status-quo. The name calling an inuendos aren’t necessary. Any by the way, you might want to check your spelling on “sacrafice”.
I agree with the skeptic. It is specious to correlate lower treatment costs with higher drug costs. In the first place it is not defining cost/price with utilization of the drugs. Secondly, with the rise of higher co-pays and deductables for DR visits, people are just going less
Of course when the Government stepped in and decided they could save us money on drugs, and told all the HMO’s, etc. that they could not give a discount on brand name drugs, only generics, drug company profits took off like a rocket. Of course, doctors only prescribe name brands as they are brainwashed buy the drug companies to do time after time. Remember, generics aren’t the real thing.
I’d like to address the comment made by CSP about generic drugs. He/She said, “Remember, generics aren’t the real thing.” Go to a pharmacy and ask to see the manufacturer of a nasal spray named FLONASE-(GlaxoSmithKline). Then, ask to see the generic manufacturer of the PAR brand. They are the exact same address’ – the exact same product going into the dispenser vials. It is common to find the big name manufacturers owning both the Brand & Generic companies. That’s how they make even MORE money! Take it from me, a pharmacist. I do not use “generic foods” or wear “generic clothes” but I most certainly use generic drugs for myself and my family. What I suggest to those of you who say that ‘a generic didn’t work for my infection,'(etc.) try this: 1)Consider that the doctor didn’t write for (eg.) the correct antibiotic specific to the bacteria you had as the cause of your infection, or 2)Ask to try a different “generic” manufacturer – sometimes finding the one brand of a generic, like Watson Labs, works better with your body chemistry than the generic you tried. Signed, One Of The Most Honorable Professionals…
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Seems to me that they are assuming alot – just because one went up and the other went down, doesn’t necessarily mean one caused the other. Maybe people were becoming more educated on self-care so they didn’t go to the physician as much, or maybe more people were avoiding the dr and hospitals due to the cost, or maybe more people were dying from the side-effects of the prescription drugs so there were less people returning to the doctors and hospitals ! Maybe the prescription drug use was up due to all the advertising and there was no cause/effect on use of doctors or hospitals.
Could be an endless number of possibilities – I don’t see how the conclusion stated here is automatic.
I am skeptical too. I would not be surprised to find out that big pharma was backing this “study”.
When prescription prices spike, the general public gets boned as medical carriers impose higher co-pays. These providers must have some negotiated, discounted rates with the drug manufacturers so they aren’t paying big bucks; they’re just passing along costs to the consumer Just look at the profits the HMO’s and other med providers have been reporting for years. The medical professionals who have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in themselves and take all the risks of working on whacked out people are getting increasingly less compensation while some jerk-off CEO of a healthcare company gets millions for screwing everybody. Does anybody else see a dangerous trend in this country? Just yesterday the jerk-off oil execs sat smuggly before congress justifying their record shattering profits while they rear-end the public.
Earl,
You nailed it. One must always ask the question of questions “cui bono?” or as all you Latin scholars know, “who benefits?” It’s a well known fact that whoever pays someone to conduct a “study” virtually always gets the results they want; if they don’t they fire the consulting firm and find someone else who will play along with them.
Oil cos are public companies. Just teachers unions alone own over 30%.
Most people with good gene pools own some. Do you?
Some facts, small brain:
The average net woth of members of congress who you elected is $10,000,000.
The average ball player makes $2,500,000.
Oil Co CEO’s have advanced degrees and have paid their dues out in the field.
You spite them for the life of hard work and sacrafice???? Who the hell are you?
You probably think penalizing the oil companies will produce more oil and cheaper gas, huh?
Do you know it takes $1,000,000,000 to drill in the deep-water gulf (the only area open top exploration) and that’s a gamble.
Get a life and try to learn facts before you sling mud, small-brain.
Nice tirade. Unfortunately most of it isn’t on point to the issue. And don’t talk to me about oil executives who “paid their dues out in the field”. I have a problem with people who keep doing the same thing, producing the same results, and getting big salaries regardless of economic pressures that affect mortal men and women. I’m glad you’re so happy with the status-quo. The name calling an inuendos aren’t necessary. Any by the way, you might want to check your spelling on “sacrafice”.
So the point of this article is “better living through chemistry”? This article seems more a stroke to the drug companies than anything else.
I too would like to know who funded the study and whether they tested for causation and to what degree of significance the results were found to be.
I agree with the skeptic. It is specious to correlate lower treatment costs with higher drug costs. In the first place it is not defining cost/price with utilization of the drugs. Secondly, with the rise of higher co-pays and deductables for DR visits, people are just going less
Of course when the Government stepped in and decided they could save us money on drugs, and told all the HMO’s, etc. that they could not give a discount on brand name drugs, only generics, drug company profits took off like a rocket. Of course, doctors only prescribe name brands as they are brainwashed buy the drug companies to do time after time. Remember, generics aren’t the real thing.
I’d like to address the comment made by CSP about generic drugs. He/She said, “Remember, generics aren’t the real thing.” Go to a pharmacy and ask to see the manufacturer of a nasal spray named FLONASE-(GlaxoSmithKline). Then, ask to see the generic manufacturer of the PAR brand. They are the exact same address’ – the exact same product going into the dispenser vials. It is common to find the big name manufacturers owning both the Brand & Generic companies. That’s how they make even MORE money! Take it from me, a pharmacist. I do not use “generic foods” or wear “generic clothes” but I most certainly use generic drugs for myself and my family. What I suggest to those of you who say that ‘a generic didn’t work for my infection,'(etc.) try this: 1)Consider that the doctor didn’t write for (eg.) the correct antibiotic specific to the bacteria you had as the cause of your infection, or 2)Ask to try a different “generic” manufacturer – sometimes finding the one brand of a generic, like Watson Labs, works better with your body chemistry than the generic you tried. Signed, One Of The Most Honorable Professionals…