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> We like to champion the "free market" but then completely fail to implement policies that make that even remotely possible We like to talk about free markets
by slantedview 8y ago
> We like to champion the "free market" but then completely fail to implement policies that make that even remotely possible
We like to talk about free markets, but we don't really want them, at least our elected representatives don't. This is the reason why Medicare is _legally prohibited_ from negotiating drug prices (something that blows the mind of pretty much everyone the first time they hear it).
- refurb 8y agoSaying Medicare can't negotiate drug prices is an over simplification. For physician administered drugs, the gov't has said "we will pay an average of what everyone else pays". No negotiation, just defacto proclamation of what Medicare will pay. For prescription drugs, Medicare pushes negotiation to private insurers who actually provide the coverage. They do negotiate with drug companies, often getting very steep discounts. Also, Medicare has said to drug companies "once a patient hit the donut hole, you need to give a 50% discount". Again, no negotiation, just a "if you want to do business with Medicare, deal with it". So yes, they don't negotiate drug prices, they just tell the drug companies what they are willing to pay.
- 8bitsrule 8y agoThe word 'free' ... like the words 'nature','organic','improved','good', and 'god' ... means what you want it to. You may, of course, try to convince people that you mean something else entirely. Of all such words, the word 'democracy' is possibly the most-abused.