Rising Drug Costs in the US
The American Dream is a set of ideals in which equality and freedom lend to opportunity for prosperity and success. The definition of success differs per individual. A patient of mine used to say, “Having medical insurance is my American Dream.” She just wanted a job that would give her kids and herself financial safety and health care. Health care for all is a dream for many. But even with health care, are treatments affordable? I have a 49-year-old patient with out-of-control diabetes who just underwent a partial foot amputation. For years she’s been non-compliant with her medication. She is riddled with side effects from high blood sugar – protein in her urine, retinopathy, and vascular disease. Insulin was too expensive for her. She had insurance but would not refill her insulin because of the cost. She already struggles to afford food, clothes, and school needs for her children. Despite the fact that insulin has been discovered one hundred years ago, it could not help her to save her foot and end organs because of the cost. The average US manufacturer price per standard unit across all insulins is about $100, compared to $7 in Australia, $12 in Canada, and $7.50 in the UK. Xarelto is $16 per tablet in the US, but only around $1 in Turkey. Symbicort is $334 but is only $25 or less in other countries.
8
CENTRAL COAST PHYSICIANS
PRITI GAGNEJA, MD, PRESIDENT
Fall 2021
