If you care about rising healthcare costs, you have to watch this brilliant new video created and posted by the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing. This hilarious parody enumerates the "benefits" and very real side effects of "PriceGougi$ol," a new drug that "reverses the ability to pay other bills." In North Carolina, we know all about the rising and unsustainable cost of critical healthcare.
The very funny video (below) pokes fun at those ridiculous pharma ads you see on television all the time. You know the type, there's always some happy (usually elderly) couple hugging, laughing and engaging in outdoor activities. Presumably they are smiling because of whatever new "outrageously expensive drug from big pharma" they are taking.
While we watch the couple in this fake ad, the voice describing PriceGougi$ol points out that the massive price is due to expensive commercials "like this one" and "9 out of 10 of the biggest pharma companies spend 50% more on advertising than research and development." This is true.
And of course there's a massive side effects list. In the case of PriceGougi$ol, side effects include "overdrawn bank accounts, bad credit scores, higher healthcare costs, children who don't get Christmas presents, and in some cases the need to stop taking your medicine."
Ouch.
That is a serious dose of some much needed truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=175rbyp3C80&feature=youtu.be
The powerful pharmaceutical lobby knows that the public is furious about rising drug costs. They have been trying to put the blame on PBMs - despite the fact that PBMs job is to represent the financial interests of patients in the negotiation. But we know that only one party sets list price of drugs and that is the pharmaceutical manufacturers themselves.
We cannot let big pharma use the law to eliminate our only advocate in price negotiations.
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