Blame Big Pharma for Out-of-Control Health Care Costs: A DebatePublication Date: 2016
Health care costs in the U.S. are some 18 percent of GNP, nearly double what other rich countries spend. We read of drug therapies that cost $100,000 a year or more, and of drug price increases that are 6 times the rate of inflation, on average, and often much more when mergers reduce competition in the industry. Is this a major driver of excessive health care costs? Or is it a by-product of the huge costs of getting new drugs approved? Has big pharma delivered drugs that reduce the need for costly surgeries, which extend life and improve its quality? Or do they deserve the blame that has been leveled against them?
This debate is presented In Partnership with the Adam Smith Society, a project of the Manhattan Institute, and features Ezekiel Emanuel (Oncologist, Bioethicist & Vice Provost, University of Pennsylvania), Neera Tanden (President and CEO, Center for American Progress), Lori Reilly
(Executive VP for Policy, Research, and Membership, PhRMA), Paul Howard
(Director of Health Policy, Manhattan Institute).
Big Bucks, Big Pharma : Marketing Disease & Pushing Drugs
