Healthcare and Us

With the battle over healthcare reform roiling on in the Capitol, I see very little progress being made. Granted, we have had plenty of distractions over the last few weeks; such as an Olympic bid for Chicago, Afghan recommendations from Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and ethics committee investigations into John Ensign and Charlie Rangel. I am having a very difficult time believing that any of the politicians in Washington are actually trying to fix the problems with our healthcare industry. Senator Max Baucus introduced a bill with no public option that has been scrutinized and heavily contested in the Senate. Interestingly enough, Baucus and the rest of the Senators debating this bill have all taken money from the healthcare industry. Sounds like a conflict of interest to me.
This weekend, I went to visit my grandparents and great-grandparents (yes, they’re still alive). While I have been watching this healthcare debate closely, I hadn’t realized how deep of an effect our current healthcare system was affecting my own family. My grandfather has pre-existing conditions making him virtually impossible to insure; or any company that will insure him charges an arm and a leg. Naturally, my grandparents can’t afford the coverage, so the make up the large percentage of Americans who remain uninsured. My great-grandmother (Abuela) also has pre-existing conditions doubling the complexity of the scenario. She qualifies for Medicare, but it doesn’t cover everything. Abuela recently injured her knee. Being in her late 80s, she isn’t a particularly great candidate for knee replacement, so her doctor prescribed a series of three injections into the knee to lubricate the joints. The injection, Synvisc, is manufactured in Germany. The price for this drug itself, not including the doctors’ fees, came out to $978.00. After Medicare, the price was still almost a thousand dollars just for the medicine. Obviously, that was out of the question. The doctor agreed to administer the injections if my grandparents could get the drug cheaper elsewhere and bring it to the office. My price savvy grandparents ordered the injections from our Northern neighbors up in Canada. The injections are the exact same as they would have received here; same manufacturer, same dosage, same drug. After shipping and handling and the currency conversion, the cost came out to just under $400.00. Simply by ordering the medicine from another country, they were able to save almost $600.00. Needless to say, I was very annoyed to hear this, but I understand the importance of shopping around.
What made me especially mad were my grandfather’s medications. To keep his cholesterol in check, he was prescribed Crestor manufactured by Astra Zeneca. With no insurance to help offset the cost, the prescription runs about $128. My grandfather gets the generic version Rosuvast 10, also manufactured by Astra Zeneca, from Argentina for $15. This furthered my outrage at our healthcare system, but it was a generic, and those are always cheaper. What really blew me away was what he showed me next. Another cholesterol medicine which he was prescribed is Niaspan 1000mg. Purchasing the prescription here in the States would have cost them $140. Purchasing the exact same medicine again from Argentina, cost him $22. A $118 difference for the exact same drug, same dosage, same everything. Here’s the kicker… Niaspan is manufactured by KOS pharmaceuticals, here in the United States. It is cheaper to purchase American-made medicines abroad in other countries than it is to purchase it here. I couldn’t believe it if I didn’t read the packaging with my own eyes. It is unfathomable to me, that we pay more for medicines made right here in our own country.
I find it completely disgusting that we allow companies to take advantage of our own citizens and prey on consumers who are in need of specific medicines. We are allowing these drug companies to financially rape our citizens. People rely on these types of medications. All across the country, these are people who are having difficulty staying employed. These are people who are trying to stay in their homes and put food on their tables. These are people who are trying to take care of their families. These are people who are being taken advantage of by their own. I understand the desire to make a profit; it keeps the company going, pays the people who work at the plants, and helps fund research for other drugs. The money also goes to pay the $4.7Million salary for Astra Zeneca CEO David Brennan. I am a firm believer in Capitalism, free enterprise, and the free market. It is a part of the American Dream to be wealthy and successful. However, I am deeply offended when some realize that American Dream by directly sabotaging the lives and well-being of their fellow citizens. Preying on the weak and infirm is vile and contemptible; pricing their medications out of their reach and at the ends of their budgets is a despicable act that only widens the gap between the rich and the poor. I hope Congress approves a damn good reform plan soon; otherwise, this type of conduct will continue and our population will suffer from it. We need to fix the health-care system now! Call or write to your Congressional Representatives and Senators and tell them to get on the ball.