4 ms·

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 t

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
    - usefulcat 10y ago
      Don't the pens expire after a year?
      - tcbawo 10y ago
        Yes, they do. Unfortunately, you tend to need several per child (minimum one for school, one for home). So, these costs quickly multiply.
- ascorbic 10y ago
  Their negotiating position is probably limited by the fact they can't say that they just won't buy it. NICE evaluates all treatments bought by the NHS for value for money. If it was too expensive they'd just not buy it. It's not like there are no alternatives.
  - vonmoltke 10y ago
    Actually, the big problem in the US is that there are no alternatives. The last Mylan competitor making a similar product folded six months ago. If you want to blame anything about the US system for the current situation, blame the regulatory capture that is generic drug approval. What does the NHS do about drugs that are sole source?

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
  - usefulcat 10y ago
    Don't the pens expire after a year?
    - tcbawo 10y ago
      Yes, they do. Unfortunately, you tend to need several per child (minimum one for school, one for home). So, these costs quickly multiply.
ascorbic 10y ago
Their negotiating position is probably limited by the fact they can't say that they just won't buy it. NICE evaluates all treatments bought by the NHS for value for money. If it was too expensive they'd just not buy it. It's not like there are no alternatives.
- vonmoltke 10y ago
  Actually, the big problem in the US is that there are no alternatives. The last Mylan competitor making a similar product folded six months ago. If you want to blame anything about the US system for the current situation, blame the regulatory capture that is generic drug approval. What does the NHS do about drugs that are sole source?