This sort of thing is what's so wrong with health care, particularly in the U.S. The very last thing people should be worrying about, when it comes to their health, is having to pay for it. I read crap like this & wonder how many people have been killed, yes, I said killed, by the market forces that the ReThugs believe will fix all of society's ills. In fact, it cures none.
"Doctors are excited about the prospect of Avastin, a drug already widely used for colon cancer, as a crucial new treatment for breast and lung cancer, too. But doctors are cringing at the price the maker, Genentech, plans to charge for it: about $100,000 a year.
That price, about double the current level as a colon cancer treatment, would raise Avastin to an annual cost typically found only for medicines used to treat rare diseases that affect small numbers of patients. But Avastin, already a billion-dollar drug, has a potential patient pool of hundreds of thousands of people — which is why analysts predict its United States sales could grow nearly sevenfold to $7 billion by 2009.
Doctors, though, warn that some cancer patients are already being priced out of the Avastin market. Even some patients with insurance are thinking hard before agreeing to treatment, doctors say, because out-of-pocket co-payments for the drug could easily run $10,000 to $20,000 a year."
3 comments:
cold h2o:
I am having so much fun, debating with you and your readers, I thought I might as well keep going.
I do believe that there should be some sort of national health care, to what extent, I am not sure. However the american people should be held accountable to an extent. When someone smokes, and they have decided to ignore the warning labels and get lung cancer, that is their own fault and nobody elses. When Large Marge decides to eat fast food and junk all day and gets fat because of it; leading to heart disease or bad joints, or whatever, that is their fault and nobody elses. Proper diet and exercise is the responsibility of everyone, which is, scientifically proven to reduce health related illnesses. If everyone was a responsible individual, health related illnesses would be greatly reduced and yes, it would also make health care more affordable through cheaper insurances. Now, before you respond, think about what I just wrote. I do believe in some sort of National Health care, in instances where lifestyle wasn't a factor, I just think the american people should be held accountable for things they could have prevented, and yes we all know the risks involved in smoking, "Big Tobacco" isn't fooling anyone. Yes, everyone knows being fat and out of shape isn't healthy.
I look forward to your response
You're right, there should be completely free national health care. You're so wrong about everything else.
What do you mean by "free"? Free to those that pay no taxes? It would seem that some entity would have to pick up the tab. Doctors don't work cheap. Nor should they.
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