How Leadership Is Bi-Partisanly Screwing You
You're being held over a barrel, and your leaders, from both sides, are watching it happen with zero regard for you.
A problem that grew out of control during the Obama years, continued during Trump's years, and got worse during the Biden years still exists for millions of Americans. And that accounts for the elderly, the sick, the disabled, or those fighting a disease. That problem is the forever sky-high price of medications.
According to a 2024 RAND report, prescription drug prices in the United States are significantly higher than in other places around the world. United States drug prices are, on average, 2.78 times higher than those in 33 other countries. Considering the millions in grants the United States gives to the pharmaceutical industry, it is especially troubling that the very industry that comes to the taxpayers for grants then overprices those taxpayers.
The gap gets bigger between the United States and other countries when it comes to brand-name drugs, with U.S. prices averaging nearly 4.25 times that paid in other nations.
Across the 33 countries looked at in the RAND report, total drug spending in 2022 was 989 billion dollars. The USA accounted for 62 percent of sales, but only 24 percent of volume, indicating that the US is the country making the pharmaceutical industry the richest.
Drugs and Politics
A lot of the problem in the United States comes down to politics and policies. While a majority of both sides polled agree that drug prices in the United States need price controls, the last major bill put forth failed to be clean.
And that's the core of the problem: we can't get a clean bill across the finish line that would even the playing field between us and countries like Canada, Mexico, or Turkey.
Even that 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which did contain some promising wording to lower the price of prescription drugs in America, was opposed by Republicans because it wasn't a clean bill and put forth unnecessary amounts of money given to foreign countries, alleged "green" initiatives, and less favorable projects disagreed with by conservatives.
Why is there never a clean bill at a time it could pass based on the party affiliation of the representative introducing the bill?
So, what does the voting really look like from our legislators? It's not shocking.
Between the years 2020 and 2025, most of the bills to lower drug costs don't get to a vote in the House or Senate. Only a select few, contentious bills, with additional add-ons, made it to the floors. This would lead anyone who examines the information to develop a conclusion that there's a problem. Our leaders don't care as much about fixing this disparity in pricing as they claim.
But again, why?
Lifesaving Drugs Out Of Reach
When you go and look, many drugs, even with insurance, remain out of reach. And some insurance companies won't cover some drugs.
When the list prices in the United States are what they are, there should be no surprise.
Take, for instance, drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic. These are drugs that can help with problems like diabetes and obesity, which can help a person get away from the threats of heart disease.
In the United States, Mounjaro lists for between 1,069 and 1,112 a month. Making it out of reach for those without insurance, or those with insurance that won't pay for it.
And that's just a GLP-1. What about other common problems encountered by United States citizens?
Cancer drugs, Inhalers, Diabetic meds, and GLP-1s are all still remarkably pricey, and private insurance does fight them, even though they may be key in avoiding more expensive problems.
What Peaked My Interest Today
Due to the long-term effects of cancer, the oral therapies, and chemotherapy on my body, I was prescribed Mounjaro. It was to help combat the effects of my A1-C going up, my metabolism being way low, and to help me get some of my health back. However, due to insurance fighting to pay for it and the 1,056 dollar price, that's not likely to happen.
People in America, where a large amount of grants are given to companies developing such wonder drugs, shouldn't be bent over a barrel and held hostage by the drug companies. As drug companies continue to charge America between 3 and 5 times what they charge other countries' patients, it's clear that both Democrats and Republicans in the United States have failed us.
Resources:
Prescription Drug Prices in the US Are 2.78 Times Those in Other Countries
Mounjaro Cost Without Insurance in 2026: Real Prices plus Savings Options
Public Views on Prescription Drug Costs: Regulation, Affordability and TrumpRx
About the Creator
Jason Morton
From fiction to reality there’s tons to share about this crazy life. From being a single father, an officer, and having had many insane adventures while I learned about the world, my imagination runs wild with ideas.
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