Two more pieces of good news about how markets and competition that will no doubt disappoint Democrats and those who would rather see drug companies die than see more people live from their increased investments...
Articles in the Health Affairs that came in the mail today show that rate of increase in drug spending declined faster than it has in over a decade from 2004-5. Meanwhile healthcare spending in the US essentially remained the same. (All this is happening by that way even as the number of people using meds and the number of prescriptions increases..) Other articles showed that increased spending on medicines for hypertension contributed to a decline in deaths and spending on more costly medical services. Moreover, the studies found that if more people had actually taken the medicines prescribed the cost offset and benefits would have been even greater.
Now what does that tell us class?
First, that from 2004-5 even as seniors began to increase the number of prescriptions they took with the help of prescription drug card, the rate of increase declined. That's because more people took generics and price competition kept prices down. Also, new formulations were more cost effective.
Second, increased drug utilization is associated with a decline in health care spending. As the studies on medicines and cardiovascular disease shows -- studies conducted by Harvard's David Cutler and associates -- drugs that control the progress of chronic illness also control the rate of health care spending. The more they are used, the more they do so
Third, the earlier and more frequently we treat disease with medicine the more likely we prevent disease and control its cost as well as improve life. Therefore drugs are undervalued.
And that class, is the problem. The Left truly hates the drug companies and therefore seeks to devalue its products at every turn. Either they claim they are me-too pieces of crap, poisonous pills that they payoff the FDA to market, or way to expensive cancer drugs that marginally increase survival. They can't think of one drug that truly makes a difference.
The latest research shows, yet again, they are wrong. And they are venal.
Articles in the Health Affairs that came in the mail today show that rate of increase in drug spending declined faster than it has in over a decade from 2004-5. Meanwhile healthcare spending in the US essentially remained the same. (All this is happening by that way even as the number of people using meds and the number of prescriptions increases..) Other articles showed that increased spending on medicines for hypertension contributed to a decline in deaths and spending on more costly medical services. Moreover, the studies found that if more people had actually taken the medicines prescribed the cost offset and benefits would have been even greater.
Now what does that tell us class?
First, that from 2004-5 even as seniors began to increase the number of prescriptions they took with the help of prescription drug card, the rate of increase declined. That's because more people took generics and price competition kept prices down. Also, new formulations were more cost effective.
Second, increased drug utilization is associated with a decline in health care spending. As the studies on medicines and cardiovascular disease shows -- studies conducted by Harvard's David Cutler and associates -- drugs that control the progress of chronic illness also control the rate of health care spending. The more they are used, the more they do so
Third, the earlier and more frequently we treat disease with medicine the more likely we prevent disease and control its cost as well as improve life. Therefore drugs are undervalued.
And that class, is the problem. The Left truly hates the drug companies and therefore seeks to devalue its products at every turn. Either they claim they are me-too pieces of crap, poisonous pills that they payoff the FDA to market, or way to expensive cancer drugs that marginally increase survival. They can't think of one drug that truly makes a difference.
The latest research shows, yet again, they are wrong. And they are venal.
