4 ms·
That's not true. If the US had a centralised health system like other developed countries they would have the same bargaining power. In NZ we have Pharmac who b
by disordinary 8y ago
That's not true. If the US had a centralised health system like other developed countries they would have the same bargaining power. In NZ we have Pharmac who bulk purchases drugs for the country, they can get good deals because they operate in a free market and can play the pharma companies off each other.
Don't blame other countries for your own governments inability to bargain.
Pharma companies still have patents and exclusivity deals. They will price the drug at a point where it's profitable, and countries will buy those drugs if they work.
- refurb 8y agoit's not about negotiation at all. NZ has a population of 5M. The largest private health insurer in the US, United Health, cover 40M people. They can, and do, negotiate drug prices. Who do you think would get a better deal?
- disordinary 8y agoIs it the health insurer that negotiates though or the individual private health care providers and pharmacy chains (drug stores)?
- refurb 8y agoIt's the insurer who negotiates with the drug companies directly. And they do negotiate hard! United healthcare has over 100 products on it's exclusion list which means they told the drug company "no, we won't pay for your drug."
- disordinary 8y agoThen it must be about added regulations that the US has.
- p1necone 8y agoWe don't need to speculate on who gets a better deal, we can already see that people in NZ pay far, far (like an order of magnitude) less for drugs.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]