Re: A drug-company executive speaks out

From: George Conklin (georgeconklin1_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 01/01/05 

Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2005 13:45:51 GMT

"Matt Beckwith" <beckwith@wchsys.org> wrote in message
news:1104497757.631903.251470@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> Hurray to Mr. Ross for speaking out, endangering his job in the
> process. He makes some excellent points. I learned a lot from his
> statement. I hope his words are taken to heart by Americans.
>
> However, a couple of his concepts I find a bit misleading.
>
> > The
> > Congressional Budget Office has estimated that average prices for
> > patented drugs in 25 other top industrialized nations are 35 percent
> to
> > 55 percent lower than in the United States.
>
> The U.S. health care system is geared toward those who have insurance.
> The insured do not pay high costs for drugs. They pay a copay for each
> prescription. Also, the insurance companies do not pay full price for
> the drugs.
>
> > I'm a drug-company executive who has spent 20 years marketing
> > pharmaceuticals. And I'm troubled. I'm most troubled by the fact that
> > we stick it to the people who can afford it the least.
>
> In other words, those who don't have insurance. In this country, those
> who don't have insurance are largely people who are unemployed. Many
> are those who qualify for medical assistance but haven't taken the time
> to apply for it. (Of course, many are uninsured who are employed but
> worked for small companies or for themselves. And the elderly, though
> insured, are not adequately covered.)
>
> I also agree with the follow-up post about unhealthful American
> lifestyles. Europeans visiting the U.S. are amazed at how much
> Americans eat at each meal, and at how fat Americans are.
>

  Life expectany is still going UP, not down, and lifestyle, not medical
care, is the reason. Of the 35 years of increased life expectancy since
1900, only 5 is attributed the medical care and the rest to social changes
like, you guessed it, better food.

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