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By
Dr. Joseph Mercola
with
Rachael Droege
The population is aging, prescription drug use has seen a
sharp increase, and new drugs with exorbitant price tags are
continually being added to the market. The result? Americans
are being prescribed a steady stream of expensive prescription
drugs that they can’t afford, and the drug prices are
so high that they are threatening to break the health care
budget.
The reasons why drug prices are growing ever higher may surprise
you. Drug companies spend billions on research and development,
but they now spend even more on marketing their drugs. And
they rake in huge profits--about 30 percent a year for the
largest drug manufacturers.
In fact, drug pricing has nothing to do with costs. The prices
are negotiated in secret and the outcome is based largely
on the bargaining power of a particular country or health
plan. This means that when drugs are sold to consumers, there
is not usually one set price. Prices vary from very low to
very high and the price you are charged depends on a number
of factors, including the country in which you reside and
whether or not you have health insurance. Americans without
health insurance, who are often in low-income brackets, are
often charged the most.
Drug companies have the upper hand in negotiating prices,
largely because there are currently no scientific standards
for analyzing the cost-effectiveness of new drugs. This can
be so widely interpreted that just about any price can be
justified and consumers have no way to gauge whether the effects
of a drug are worth the price.
Adding to the problem is that Americans take more drugs than
necessary, often popping expensive pills in lieu of opting
for a nutritious diet or more active lifestyle. The overuse
of prescription drugs does not come without consequence, however,
and many people end up taking several prescriptions just to
treat the side effects of their initial drug treatments.
All the while, drug makers are spending billions on advertisements,
not only to doctors but also directly to consumers. The advertisements
are often misleading in regard to the drug’s effectiveness
and often push new, more expensive drugs when there is no
evidence that their value is worth the extra cost.
Logic based on traditional thinking would say that with all
of this spending on drugs--drug spending in America has been
rising at a rate of 14 percent to 18 percent a year--people
would be getting healthier and their need for drugs would
be subsiding, but this is far from the case. Americans are
instead faced with a growing number of chronic disease epidemics,
diabetes and obesity to name a couple, despite all the new
high-tech drugs. This should be the first clue that drugs
are not the answer.
The drug industry is fond of saying that spending more on
drugs actually saves money by reducing costly hospitalizations
and other health care expenses. What many people don’t
realize is that their bodies come equipped with its own natural
defense system, the immune system. Building up your health
is the best way to reduce your health care expense and risk
of hospitalization.
You can check out my nutrition plan
for some helpful guidelines that will inevitably lead to better
health. My new book, The No-Grain Diet,
discusses this concept in detail and will give you some practical
advice on how to implement a healthier lifestyle that will minimize
your chances of needing drugs.
Related
Articles:
Are Drug Companies
Next Target After Tobacco?
U.S. Drug Companies Battle
Canada's Cheaper Drugs
Drug Industry Lobbyists
Spending More to Influence Congress
Health Spending Growing
Faster Than US Economy
Prescription Drug
Sales Increased By Nearly 20% Last Year in US
Nearly $3 Trillion
Dollars in US Health Spending is Projected
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