All of these nations except for the United States have clamped lids on drug prices. In 1996 alone, U.S. pharmacists filled 51,408,000 prescriptions for the eight medicines. Their acquisition costs averaged 1.7 to 2.9 times higher than in the sixteen other countries. The eight- drug subset accounted for less than than 0.5 percent of all U.S. prescriptions filled in 1996. Discriminatory drug pricing causes severe financial strains on millions of Americans who must have prescription medicines to enjoy good or at least tolerable health.
None are more victimized than the uninsured.
Consider patients with extremely high blood pressure. Without it, one study showed, one of three of these patients will develop grave heart or kidney disease, suffer a stroke or die within 26 months. Many AIDS victims, to cite another example, need three or four different drugs at a time. However adverse the effects of inordinately high drug prices on the health and lives of their fellow citizens, most candidates for president, vice president, the House of Representatives and the Senate avoid the issue. Incumbents become particularly artful dodgers when they try to score political points by talking about adding drug coverage to Medicare.