8 ms·

Meanwhile, in single-payer Britain the NHS pays £26 ($35). https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respiratory-system/34-antihistamines-immunother

Meanwhile, in single-payer Britain the NHS pays £26 ($35). https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respiratory-system/34-antihistamines-immunotherapy-and-allergic-emergencies/343-allergic-emergencies/anaphylaxis/adrenalineepinephrine/intramuscular-injection-for-self-administration https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/formulary/bnfc/current/3-respira...

lorenzhs 10y ago
"Unfortunately this site is only available from Great Britain." - but the Google Cache works: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.evidence.nhs.uk%2Fformulary%2Fbnfc%2Fcurrent%2F3-respiratory-system%2F34-antihistamines-immunotherapy-and-allergic-emergencies%2F343-allergic-emergencies%2Fanaphylaxis%2Fadrenalineepinephrine%2Fintramuscular-injection-for-self-administration https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp...
mattlondon 10y ago
Even at retail (i.e. just walk into pharmacy with your prescription and buy it like you'd buy a coffee) they are £50 per pen/£90 for two [1] ($66/$118 at today's USD-GBP rate) The weird healthcare system in the US is one of the main reasons I've resisted calls to relocate there for work. Stories like this are just really off putting. 1 - https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/allergy/epipen https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/allergy/epipen
nerdponx 10y ago
B-b-but socialism!
norea-armozel 10y ago
You know what's weird about this situation is that often I've been told by people here in the US that the price NHS and other single payer systems pay is only possible because we here in the US supposedly pay for it at the free market price. I don't believe that myself since it wouldn't make much sense to say that the prices would plummet to such a degree as to be unprofitable. But I do wonder how much of the price would be affected if every country in the world were under single payer systems. Would it be even marginally higher? Would it be possibly lower for all? I'm not sure. But I would love to see someone analyze this to see if this is statement I keep hearing is 100% bunk.
- Retric 10y ago
  Insurance companies are consistently profitable, it's hard to look at that profit as anything other than a net drain. Especially when a public healthcare option was not included in the US specifically because these companies could not compete. Looking at direct and indirect costs insurance adds ~20+% to healthcare spending. Remember insurance commercials for example are yet another cost.
- treebeard901 10y ago
  It is possible that both can be true. The price for medicine is cheaper because you have a single entity, the NHS, negotiating for a large group of people. On the the other hand, it is possible that we subsidize the development of new medicine to an extent. An epipen would otherwise exist regardless because it is a requirement for many people. More advanced medicine that requires a large capital investment for research and development could be another story.
  - usefulcat 10y ago
    > The price for medicine is cheaper because you have a single entity, the NHS, negotiating for a large group of people. Wellpoint and its subsidiaries insure more than 70 million people, which is slightly more than the current population of the UK. https://www.thebalance.com/the-big-five-health-insurance-companies-2663838 https://www.thebalance.com/the-big-five-health-insurance-com...
    - skywhopper 10y ago
      You can be sure that Wellpoint has also negotiated a good rate on Epi-pens. This price-gouging affects people who don't have prescription drug coverage or those who are enrolled in HSA plans that force you to pay for the first few thousand dollars worth of prescriptions at retail prices. And there are a lot of people being funnelled into HSAs by their employers.
      - tcbawo 10y ago
        My children have a need for epipens. With our insurance, it is still prohibitively expensive. After hearing about the cost in GB, I'm considering making a trip to London to stock up
Nanite 10y ago
Same thing with Asthma inhalers. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/the-soaring-cost-of-a-simple-breath.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/the-soaring-cost-of-a-s...
limeyx 10y ago
Damned socialists. They need some free-market goodness over there!

lorenzhs 10y ago

"Unfortunately this site is only available from Great Britain." - but the Google Cache works: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.evidence.nhs.uk%2Fformulary%2Fbnfc%2Fcurrent%2F3-respiratory-system%2F34-antihistamines-immunotherapy-and-allergic-emergencies%2F343-allergic-emergencies%2Fanaphylaxis%2Fadrenalineepinephrine%2Fintramuscular-injection-for-self-administration https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3Ahttp...

mattlondon 10y ago

Even at retail (i.e. just walk into pharmacy with your prescription and buy it like you'd buy a coffee) they are £50 per pen/£90 for two [1] ($66/$118 at today's USD-GBP rate) The weird healthcare system in the US is one of the main reasons I've resisted calls to relocate there for work. Stories like this are just really off putting. 1 - https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/allergy/epipen https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/allergy/epipen

nerdponx 10y ago

B-b-but socialism!

norea-armozel 10y ago

You know what's weird about this situation is that often I've been told by people here in the US that the price NHS and other single payer systems pay is only possible because we here in the US supposedly pay for it at the free market price. I don't believe that myself since it wouldn't make much sense to say that the prices would plummet to such a degree as to be unprofitable. But I do wonder how much of the price would be affected if every country in the world were under single payer systems. Would it be even marginally higher? Would it be possibly lower for all? I'm not sure. But I would love to see someone analyze this to see if this is statement I keep hearing is 100% bunk.

Retric 10y ago
Insurance companies are consistently profitable, it's hard to look at that profit as anything other than a net drain. Especially when a public healthcare option was not included in the US specifically because these companies could not compete. Looking at direct and indirect costs insurance adds ~20+% to healthcare spending. Remember insurance commercials for example are yet another cost.
treebeard901 10y ago
It is possible that both can be true. The price for medicine is cheaper because you have a single entity, the NHS, negotiating for a large group of people. On the the other hand, it is possible that we subsidize the development of new medicine to an extent. An epipen would otherwise exist regardless because it is a requirement for many people. More advanced medicine that requires a large capital investment for research and development could be another story.
- usefulcat 10y ago
  > The price for medicine is cheaper because you have a single entity, the NHS, negotiating for a large group of people. Wellpoint and its subsidiaries insure more than 70 million people, which is slightly more than the current population of the UK. https://www.thebalance.com/the-big-five-health-insurance-companies-2663838 https://www.thebalance.com/the-big-five-health-insurance-com...
  - skywhopper 10y ago
    You can be sure that Wellpoint has also negotiated a good rate on Epi-pens. This price-gouging affects people who don't have prescription drug coverage or those who are enrolled in HSA plans that force you to pay for the first few thousand dollars worth of prescriptions at retail prices. And there are a lot of people being funnelled into HSAs by their employers.
    - tcbawo 10y ago
      My children have a need for epipens. With our insurance, it is still prohibitively expensive. After hearing about the cost in GB, I'm considering making a trip to London to stock up

Nanite 10y ago

Same thing with Asthma inhalers. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/the-soaring-cost-of-a-simple-breath.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/us/the-soaring-cost-of-a-s...

limeyx 10y ago

Damned socialists. They need some free-market goodness over there!