Fueled Fire

Almost every older individual knows the true cost of living. Whether it be doctor visits, hospital visits, rehabilitation homes, or pharmaceuticals. It seems like every company that caters to older folks has their hands out waiting to cash in the rewards. It is easy to imagine what comes to mind when a pharmaceutical company cashes in over $1,000,000,000 from fiscal year 2009, and nearly doubled its gross revenue in just four years from $2.73 Billion in 2005 to $4.52 Billion in 2009. Pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the one and only American Citizen.

The statements above were made about a pharmaceutical company called Genzyme. Genzyme makes a fabulous medication called Renegel, which treats high blood levels of phosphorous for patients on dialysis. The issue is this, my grandmother has kidney failure, and she is also on Medicare. She is struggling paying the bills for treatment she has not, and can't afford a Part D supplement to cover the cost of the Donut Hole. Basically her true out of pocket expenses over the course of the year just on her Renagel is over $3000. That is not saying much when a bottle of this medication costs $800-$1000 for a months worth of medication. Believe it or not, it is nearly worth its weight in gold. There are also no generics of this medication in the United States. If my grandmother doesn't take this medication, she would die from blood poisoning.

The solution to this issue, is to create not a free healthcare system (because that will only make things worse will explain in a latter blog), but to create a law that stops pharmaceutical companies from charging over a given amount for medication. Since other countries with free healthcare services offer medication at $4-$20 a bottle no matter the cost, it leaves Americans up to pay for the cost of developing these new drugs. Don't get me wrong, it is a great thing that we can help other countries, and other individuals from these medications, but they need to start paying for the tab too. We can't front all of the costs for development. Below is a list of countries with Universal Health Care, and the financial report for Genzyme.

Countries that have Universal Health Coverage:

Afghanistan*, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq*, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom

*Universal health coverage provided by United States war funding

Financial Report for Genzyme:

Click Here for Financial Report