Part of what separates man from animal is our ability to create and survive using modern technology, such as modern medicine. But the medication of today is actually posing a real dangerous threat: it’s too expensive.
According to a recent report by CBS, more medications are raising their prices than ever before, and the amount they’re raising them is nearly five times more than the rate of inflation. It’s reaching the point that many lower-class families cannot afford the medicine they need to lead healthy lives.
Some Statistics
- More than 3,400 different medicines raised prices this year, 17% more than last year.
- The average increase in price for each medicine was 10.5%
- 41 different medicines have raised their price by more than 100%
- Popular anti-depressant Prozac raised their price 879% in the last year
- Promethazine/Codeine solution, used as a pain reliever and cough medication, raised prices by 326%
What This Means
This is both a sign and a symbol. It’s a sign that drug manufacturers have too much control over things that the modern man may depend on. It’s a sign that, should this go unchecked, people are going to suffer so that big businesses can make more money.
It’s also a symbol for a climate we’re experiencing beyond that of just medicine. Pricing for school homeownership, rent, and countless other aspects of adulthood are rising faster than that of inflation. Combine this issue with the stagnant growth of wages and you have a problem.
What Can We Do?
The unfortunate part of all of this is: we can’t do much. If you need medication to live a healthy life, then you should take that medicine. It’s simple as that. If it’s too expensive and you don’t NEED the medicine, then you choose to forgo it. If you need it and can’t afford it. Well… I pray for you. A perfect example of this is with Insulin.
The good news is that the Trump Administration has been making an effort to resolve this problem. They’re working on putting two new rules in place. One rule will allow pharmacists to display pricing data about the medicines available to them, which was previously not allowed. The other rule will require pharmaceutical companies to include the cost of medicine in their TV commercials.
The only thing that we as citizens can do is to pay attention to our political events. If we find local candidates that want to reduce and regulate the price of medicine and vote for them into our mayor, Senate, and representative roles, we might see these ideals set in place on a government scale.