I was reading this diary over at Kos today. This is yet another example of how we could all save large amounts of money by setting up a single-payer health care system. This is an example of how the federal government achieves huge savings in health costs for federal employees, Tricare and the VA through the power of large group cost control and bulk pharmaceutical purchases. Wouldn't this be a better way for all of us? 
From Daily Kos:
What this is about is pharmaceuticals. Gleevec, the current fave among oncologists who dig leukemia, goes for [hold onto your hat] about
$35K per year for a standard dose. My wife wandered into our local pharmacy to pick up my first prescription and about had a coronary; she called me, whereupon I uttered something unforgivable along the lines of "I'd rather die". And what we were talking about was the
PRICE TO US, with what is probably the best insurance available to mere mortals --- until a year ago, she was a Fed, retiring with insurance intact. Our bite would have been
$750 per month; last time I looked, I could get an apartment for that in downtown Seattle, if I didn't mind sharing it with assorted livestock.
But it gets more disgusting from there:
through our on-line mail-order service, we can get it for $35 for a three-month supply.
Somebody tell me this isn't completely nuts: pills that cost a couple pennies to manufacture cost the better part of the US median salary to buy?
But I get 75% off because I had the good sense to marry into the federal government? And another 20-odd% off of the original price because I can find the Mozilla icon on my PC and remember my password for the on-line pharmacy site?
Would you like to comment?
