Americans with diabetes travel to Canada to get affordable insulin

[Dai Toruko]

The cost of insulin for treating type 1 diabetes in the United States has skyrocketed since the mid-1990s, with an increase of more than 1,100 percent. Now, some Americans are going to Canada to get it for so much cheaper.

 

[Goenitz]

I think John Oliver had done a program about it. Terrible situation.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/10/health/insulin-prices-congressional-hearing-bn/index.html

On rising insulin prices, lawmaker tells pharma execs: 'Your days are numbered'

 

[Ali_Baba]

The entire health system in the USA is a joke. Totally sick ..

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

The entire health system in the USA is a joke. Totally sick ..

It ain’t that bad compared to yours...
https://spectator.us/american-healthcare-and-the-nhs/
American Healthcare versus the British system

“Sweeping generalizations regarding the nature of American health insurance are so popular because the reality is so complicated. It would only be misleading to say that the country has 50 entirely different healthcare systems (one for every state) because that would be an understatement

...Whereas Britain’s NHS funds medical services free-at-the-point-of-use for all regardless of income, America’s provision of free publicly-financed healthcare is concentrated on specific categories of poor, elderly, and disabled citizens.

...The consequence of this difference of approaches is that routine healthcare services in Britain are cheap for all, but that the extraordinarily expensive medical procedures needed by the very ill are often subject to rationing; whereas Americans who do not qualify for public assistance must pay for their own healthcare (usually through insurance) or rely on publicly-subsidized charity care

...To some extent, this extra money allows Americans from across the income distribution to enjoy better access to medical specialists, high-tech surgery, and cutting-edge drug therapies. As a result, mortality rates following comparable events in the U.S. are often a fraction of what they are in the U.K

..While the NHS in England and Wales provides care through 200 hospitals, America’s public Medicare program entitles its enrollees to receive care at their choice of 4,700 hospitals – around 4 times as many per capita.

——————-

So basically in the US getting a doctor’s appointment is easy and having an operation is as simple as scheduling one in the numerous hospitals.

If you have insurance medical expenses are not much of an issue. Plus some insurance companies have cheap high-deductible plans...for people who are healthy. They cover 100% of the medical costs of routine visits. If you need to do something more than routine they make you pay out of your pocket for it until you hit the deductible (maybe $4000 or something) before they will start covering 100%.

 

[jamal18]

The entire health system in the USA is a joke. Totally sick ..

Yes. For a country that hates 'Socialism' it spends an insane amount on health. And the tax payer gets very poor returns.

 

[Menthol]

No democracy in USA.

I don't understand, may be the meaning of democracy in USA is different from other countries.

Or may be too much noises up to the level that nothing need to be listened anymore.

 

[nang2]

Yes. For a country that hates 'Socialism' it spends an insane amount on health. And the tax payer gets very poor returns.

US is also the center of new drug research and manufacturing, of course, shouldered by American patients, while the rest of the world tag along in the progress.

No democracy in USA.

I don't understand, may be the meaning of democracy in USA is different from other countries.

Or may be too much noises up to the level that nothing need to be listened anymore.

US has more democracy than it had before, to the detriment of itself. US was never meant to be a democracy. It is a republic.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/04/10/health/insulin-prices-congressional-hearing-bn/index.html

On rising insulin prices, lawmaker tells pharma execs: 'Your days are numbered'

Lawmakers love to play with supply and demand. They often artificially jack up the demand, choke down the supply and then after the price soars, order suppliers to lower prices. They act as "angels" at every step. In the whole game, nobody gains but them.

As of this case, see how US government works to keep insulin unaffortable: https://fee.org/articles/a-governme...dable-3-easy-steps-on-how-to-hogtie-a-market/

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

US is also the center of new drug research and manufacturing, of course, shouldered by American patients, while the rest of the world tag along in the progress.

Yes, so many people forget that countries of the wold are not shouldering the expense of the R&D Drug companies spend to make drugs which make their citizens well. You may be paying $1 for a pill in Pakistan but that isn’t covering the cost of developing that drug...only the manufacture of it.

Even insulin is not a concoction of chemicals mixed in a bowl. It’s using engineered bacteria.

But you are correct that once companies find the solution they milk it for as long as they can to get far more than their R&D costs. Unfortunately the US market is the source.

 

[Vergennes]

Well,in a "socialist","communist" country like France,all costs (materials,medicines,medical examinations etc.) related to listed "long term diseases" (among others diabete 1&2 are included..) are fully (yes 100%) covered by the French social security. You don't even pay 1 centime for the insulin or for any other equipment you need to your disease.

Yes we pay high taxes to fund the system,yes it's not perfect and has its issues,but nobody would ever question it,that's the very principle of égalité. (equality) Many Americans are against "socialized medicine" until they benefit from it in other countries. @Path-Finder

 

[UKBengali]

USA is full of selfish people that is why they have the system that they do.

28.5 million Americans have no health insurance and they think that is ok!

I once saw a documentary where an American man lost his finger in an accident and could not afford the 4,000 or so US dollars to have it sewn back on.

 

[Vergennes]

USA is full of selfish people that is why they have the system that they do.

28.5 million Americans have no health insurance and they think that is ok!

I once saw a documentary where an American man lost his finger in an accident and could not afford the 4,000 or so US dollars to have it sewn back on.

I've read many insurance companies deny health coverage to people who have certain illnesses (diabete,cancer etc.) because the cost of care would just be so high. And when you have the chance to get a health insurance,you aren't even sure they'll cover your medical costs.

Sadly,money and profits over there are above everything else. You are not a patient,but a client. How do you expect things not to go wrong ?

 

[UKBengali]

I've read many insurance companies deny health coverage to people who have certain illnesses (diabete,cancer etc.) because the cost of care would just be so high. And when you have the chance to get a health insurance,you aren't even sure they'll cover your medical costs.

Sadly,money and profits over there are above everything else. You are not a patient,but a client. How do you expect things not to go wrong ?

Even the most crazed right-wing fanatics in the UK dare not say they want to privatise the National Health Service.

EU is the best bulwark against the crazed and selfish US capitalist system.

 

[Path-Finder]

Well,in a "socialist","communist" country like France,all costs (materials,medicines,medical examinations etc.) related to listed "long term diseases" (among others diabete 1&2 are included..) are fully (yes 100%) covered by the French social security. You don't even pay 1 centime for the insulin or for any other equipment you need to your disease.

Yes we pay high taxes to fund the system,yes it's not perfect and has its issues,but nobody would ever question it,that's the very principle of égalité. (equality) Many Americans are against "socialized medicine" until they benefit from it in other countries. @Path-Finder

you communist. Ah ye French think they are better than those who have to pay arm and a leg for even stepping into a doctors surgery? Kicked to the kerb if their insurance is not accepted! Ah Damn you.

USA is full of selfish people that is why they have the system that they do.

28.5 million Americans have no health insurance and they think that is ok!

I once saw a documentary where an American man lost his finger in an accident and could not afford the 4,000 or so US dollars to have it sewn back on.

yea its this documentary.

 

[Old School]

US tax payers pay for the defense of EU and Canada under the umbrella of NATO. Otherwise, they would be speaking either Russian, German or Mandarin by now. Just look at the shares of NATO expenses. These hypocrite EU and Canada keep using American shoulders to fire at their convenience while passively encouraging bad mouthing against their savior. They enjoy low or no tariff while exporting to US while keeping their markets restricted for American products through various tactics. Largely racist, socialist and atheist EU has the highest suicide rates in the world for a good reason. Ungrateful idiots.
EU and Canada are also enemies of Pakistan as they are the prime sponsors of Indian hegemony.