Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/27/cvs-caremark.html
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Over here in Finland, insulin is 100% covered by the government, and the same applies to other vital medications that people need to survive. Anything else is, IMO, nothing but barbarism.
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Typical European, always looking for government handouts. The free market will take care of this. Joke’s actually on Sanofi. When all the sick little children have died, NO ONE is going to buy their insulin and they will be FORCED to drop prices.
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This is not news to T1s and their families in the US. Every local T1 support group also functions as a swap meet for supplies, or as a source of emergency supplies for families that have screwed over by the system.
The black (or grey) market takes a number of different forms. Glucose test strips are tied to testing meters, and some insulin pumps are remote-controlled by a particular meter. If your insurance limits the number of strips you’re allowed, or changes the preferred meter brand, then you can be SOL. There’s a thriving trade in strips on eBay, with the majority of sellers based in Florida, so it’s a good guess that seniors on Medicare with T2 diabetes are selling on their excess strips to brokers who then resell them to T1s. You’ll also see signs posted by roads offering to buy test strips.
And yes, most developed nations’ healthcare systems cover T1 diabetes and other chronic conditions that require lifelong management 100%. It’s dumb not to. American healthcare is dumb and cruel and wicked.
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Exactly how free is this free market?
Perhaps the dying children could be sold for medical research purposes, so their deaths would not be profitless.
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I think your snark-meter needs a checkup.
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omega syndrome
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Here too. My friend had to pay for her daughter’s insulin pump, but it was only $200. Anything to keep the kid alive was covered - the pump has just made it easier.
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You’re right but you don’t have to rub our noses in it.
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Definitely bring this to the attention of the Intercessor in Chief, the First Daughter, Princess Ivanka.
I’m not kidding.
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What about buying bootstraps instead of insulin?
It’s all the girls fault for being to lazy. If she had worked hard enough she wouldn’t have to beg for money.
Sheesh … poor people and their crazy ideas.
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Or as I like to call it “Late stage capitalism”
That’s due to it being about money and not health.
That’s right! It’s the AMERICAN WAY!!
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What I don’t get is this:
Why haven’t desperate parents like, taken insurance execs or the drug makers hostage?
When these execs make decisions that cost people’s lives, they ought to feel like they’re putting themselves at risk.
People have killed for a lot less after all.
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I keep thinking about that too. I’m surprised someone hasn’t at least gone all John Q.
But with bankers in particular, most specifically Wells Fargo. I can’t believe someone hasn’t stormed a corporate headquarters yet. It does feel like we are, if not there, very close. My wife reminded me of the Abacus documentary about how no banks were prosecuted for their role in the financial collapse…except a (relatively) small Chinatown bank with an incredibly low foreclosure rate. That one made me feel some fucking revolutionary fervor.
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John Q. was exactly what I was thinking.
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My insulin might not have gone up in price, but Humalog is almost $300 for around a month’s worth as it is.
Once we finally repeal Obummercare, things like this will never happen again. Right, guys?
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Hey, perfect timing for the new Republican healthcare bill to somehow make everything even worse than we could have imagined.
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