I have often said that over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are the best deal in health care. Most care is self-care. At least initially, most of the time when Americans have a health complaint they reach for an OTC drug rather than visiting their doctors. Self-care with OTC drugs only represents about 1% of national health expenditures. When…
Category: Drug Prices & Regulations
Tuesday Links
- Health care spending drops back to 17.3% of GDP.
- A less rosy view of the future of heath care spending.
- Paragon Health Institute: Medicaid expansion leads to a surge in spending, but reduces healthcare access for traditional Medicaid enrollees such as low-income children and people with disabilities and it doesn’t improve health.
- Biden: IRA drug rebates are saving seniors “as much as $618 per average dose on 47 prescription drugs.” Reality: Prescription drug prices increased by 2% under Trump, by 5.5% under Biden, and by nearly 6% in November. (WSJ)
The Atlantic: Destigmatizing Hard Drug Use is a Huge Mistake
In high-income cities recently there were billboards filled with young, attractive, smiling people. The caption read “Drink with friends,” explaining if you drink & drive, ask a friend to go with you to help steer, watch for oncoming traffic and tell you when you’re swerving out of your lane. If that sounds utterly ridiculous that’s because it is. Except, drinking wasn’t the topic of the billboards, fentanyl use was.