It’s not capitalist. In capitalism there’s supposed to be symmetry (and availability) of information with regards to pricing and availability. That way you can treat market participants as rational self-interested actors. At this point it’s more like consumers are a type of chattel companies trade between each other.
3 Likes
Just got a statement of benefits from my health insurance company.
Big bold type in several conspicuous places:
Cigna Saved you $76.23 or 38%
We negotiate with healthcare providers and pharmacies to save you money!
The fuckers must need a wheelbarrow to carry around balls like that. As if a doctor’s visit actually costs $200 out of pocket anywhere there’s single payer.
So what? Did that 38% of the bill just fucking disappear? I’ve been to the clinics when I didn’t have insurance and paid cash. And they charged the exact same I ended up paying out of pocket anyway.
2 Likes
In the US, there’s also a huge user fee that the manufacturer has to pay the US FDA to get a drug even looked at – $1.5 to 2.5 million for a new drug, in the hundreds of thousands for generics. Big pharma love the fees, because they effectively squeezes out startups who might want to market a cheaper version.
It should come out of the federal budget (to level the playing field), but the FDA has been dreadfully underfunded for decades.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
