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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (40223)	9/15/2005 2:11:35 PM
From: Solon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90947

"if we could rein in the jackpot justice of malpractice, US healthcare costs would be much lower" That is undoubtedly true and (thank you) it shoulders the blame on the American love affair with litigation for profit. "and the drug costs in the US would be much lower" All countries pay for their own R&D. Fortunate countries like the U.S. get 34% or so their costs publicly funded. Their pharmaceutical companies also enjoy virtually tax free status. Drug costs are high in the U.S. because this is how R&D is paid for everywhere. And because the greed factor is perhaps relevant (we have already mentioned insurance protection). Data I have from 1999 show that U.S. and Japan were the two biggest IMPORTERS of pharmaceuticals from the rest of the world. The average tariff is passed on to the consumer adding an additional 12% to the cost. Since 1980, Germany has contributed the largest share of world EXPORTS while Switzerland is second. India has over 20,000 pharmaceutical manufacturers but only exports 20%. 8 of the top 11 drug companies in the world are American. "If all countries paid fairly for drug innovated in other countries drug companies would be a better investment, and the drug costs in the US would be much lower. If just a few countries like ones in the EU would pay fairly for innovation US drug costs would be much lower. (And drug costs in the country of innovation for each drug.)" Nobody forces a vampire to drink blood. Your drug companies have every right to limit their sales to their own dying, starving, and poverty stricken. Why blame other countries for what one of the fat cats is willing to sell for? Free Enterprise. Your drug companies set their own prices. And they target all their research toward "wealthy" diseases and those who can afford to be gouged with prices FAR in excess of the manufacturing/R&D costs to market. It seems like you are in favor of lower drug costs, but I fail to see how other free countries are supposed to assist you in this?? I am probably just not understanding you so if you would tell me what it is you want from other countries....perhaps we can look at specifics. But it seems to me that WHAT the richest companies in the world may CHARGE for the drugs that make them rich--THAT is between them and the Governments under whose jurisdictions they fall. What a country or individual is willing to PAY for a drug is likewise a personal matter. It is not a communist world--YET. It is about supply and demand. As the biggest drug importer in the world--are you noted for paying out top dollar?