12-20-2006, 12:23 AM
My dad was DEPENDENT on a Canadian company to supply his heart medicine -- at US prices, his prescriptions would have roughly equaled his annual salary!
I'll try to find out what site/company he used and report back.
Two thoughts to keep you busy:
1. The drug companies make nearly all of that stuff here in the US. THEN ship it to Canada where the gov't controls the pricing, THEN it gets re-imported into the United States at a profit to the Canadian companies, and the drug companies STILL make money even though the price (after everyone takes their cut) is half or less the US price.
2. I find it amusing that American patients will go to extraordinary lengths (and pay WAY more than anyone else in the world) to maintain a "everybody profits but me" business model almost entirely for the benefit of the drug companies. The ONLY reason Wal-Mart etc have lowered drug prices (at a SEVERE loss to themselves) is because of the market pressure of Canada. But we couldn't POSSIBLY develop a health care system that is similar but better than the Canadian model (ie the basic system of healthcare used by the entire rest of the world). NONONONONONO, it can't be done, it's impossible!
The world scratches its head.
I'll try to find out what site/company he used and report back.
Two thoughts to keep you busy:
1. The drug companies make nearly all of that stuff here in the US. THEN ship it to Canada where the gov't controls the pricing, THEN it gets re-imported into the United States at a profit to the Canadian companies, and the drug companies STILL make money even though the price (after everyone takes their cut) is half or less the US price.
2. I find it amusing that American patients will go to extraordinary lengths (and pay WAY more than anyone else in the world) to maintain a "everybody profits but me" business model almost entirely for the benefit of the drug companies. The ONLY reason Wal-Mart etc have lowered drug prices (at a SEVERE loss to themselves) is because of the market pressure of Canada. But we couldn't POSSIBLY develop a health care system that is similar but better than the Canadian model (ie the basic system of healthcare used by the entire rest of the world). NONONONONONO, it can't be done, it's impossible!
The world scratches its head.