this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2023
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“This was an unexpected victory in a long fight against an illegal cartel of three corporations who have raised their insulin prices in lockstep.”

The Biden Administration pleasantly stunned health care reform advocates Tuesday by including short-acting insulin in its list of 10 drugs for which Medicare will negotiate lower prices, power vested in the White House by the Inflation Reduction Act.

The IRA was passed in the face of one of the heftiest barrages of lobbying in congressional history, with the pharmaceutical industry spending more than $700 million over 2021 and 2022 — several times more than the second- and third-ranking industries — much of it aimed at stopping the legislation, watering it down, or undermining its implementation.

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[–] [email protected] 196 points 1 year ago (4 children)

They need to find a way to negotiate the price down for everyone, not just retirees. Kids need insulin.

And after that, epi pens.

[–] [email protected] 130 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Here’s some good news about that with California making its own insulins:

The state-label insulins will cost no more than $30 per 10 milliliter vial, and no more than $55 for a box of five pre-filled pen cartridges — for both insured and uninsured patients. The medicines will be available nationwide, the governor's office said.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/19/1164572757/california-contract-cheap-insulin-calrx

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago

That is really great news. Thanks!

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

I wish the process would be repeated by the federal government, for every similar drug that could be produced with their patent's expiration.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Where are all of the "think of the children" folk? Not important now that they're born.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

"If you're pre-born, you're fine. If you're preschool, you're fucked." -- George Carlin

Except even that isn't true, because those "choose life" assholes don't give two fucks about poor women without insurance being unable to afford pre-natal care. If your fetus dies from something preventable, fuck you lady.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Don't worry, they're too busy actively using children as pawns to fuck over the Internet, labor laws and trans people.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Children also make good target practice for guns in schools.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

DARK BRANDON HAS ARRIVED

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

The problem is the government can't set the price of goods in a private contract between two non-government entities, which is what would need to happen. The various bills you see in states setting co-pay caps is about as close as we can get, and that only happens because the government CAN regulate insurance companies and the policies they offer. While that might, eventually, put pressure on the insurance companies to demand lower prices from the manufacturers, it's a long way disconnected from the price paid by the patient.

And regulating copays doesn't help people without insurance at all.

That's why this is such an important step. When prescription coverage was added to Medicare, the ability of the government to negotiate drug prices was specifically striped from the bill. The Inflation Reduction Act added it back, finally. And it's a huge win. Medicare and Medicaid are enormous programs, and when they throw their weight around, they can affect the markets they're in dramatically. It's why the drug companies are already filing suit.

But the real solution isn't trying to force private insurance companies to play ball, or make drug manufacturers sell at a low price, it's to leverage that giant market pressure and expand Medicare eligibility to everyone. And if you're worried about funding? Don't be. Unlike social security, Medicare's tax has no maximum wage.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

government can't set the price of goods in a private contract between two non-government entities

What about IRS? I mean they should report taxes. So if they refuse money they report they are getting paid, then it is low-hanging tax fraud. Probably. At least in Europe it would be.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yup. Everything i hear about health care cost is leverage. I’m glad to see this.