With the “Affordable Care Act” now fully in place, the middle class is feeling the squeeze yet again through higher insurance costs, making quality health care unaffordable for many. On top of that, pharmaceutical drug prices continue to increase, especially cancer drugs which have skyrocketed.
Since 2000, the average monthly cost of oral cancer drugs went from $1,869 per month to $11,325 per month. Some of these drugs can extend a cancer patient’s life, although it may drain their life savings.
As we are well aware, pharmaceutical corporations are major power players in Washington, teaming up with government to squash competition and fleece the public through patent monopolies. The U.S. is one of only two countries where “direct-to-consumer” drug advertising is allowed, and the effects are plastered all over American TV.
But Big Pharma is not even happy with what it’s got. According to a report from Public Citizen, Pharma companies routinely break the law through deceit and fraud. The resulting financial penalties, rather than being a deterrent, are “just a cost of doing business.”