Santorum Tells Sick Kid Not To Complain About $1 Million Drug Costs

• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2012-02-05 05:25

  While campaigning yesterday in Woodland Park, Colorado, GOP contender Rick Santorum told a sick child and his mother that they shouldn’t complain about the exorbitant cost of his medication because some people spend $900 on iPads. He appeared unmoved by the plight of the family, staunchly defending drug companies’ right to charge whatever they want.
  The candidate also said that the parent and child unjustly felt entitled to get life-saving care at an affordable rate:
  GOP contender Rick Santorum had a heated exchange with a mother and her sick young son Wednesday, arguing that drug companies were entitled to charge whatever the market demanded for life-saving therapies.[...]
  “People have no problem paying $900 for an iPad,” Santorum said, “but paying $900 for a drug they have a problem with — it keeps you alive. Why? Because you’ve been conditioned to think health care is something you can get without having to pay for it.”
  The mother said the boy was on the drug Abilify, used to treat schizophrenia, and that, on paper, its costs would exceed $1 million each year.
  Santorum said drugs take years to develop and cost millions of dollars to produce, and manufacturers need to turn a profit or they would stop developing new drugs.
  Santorum proceeded to lecture the mother and suggest she should be grateful to the drug companies for saving her son’s life. “He’s alive today because drug companies provide care,” Santorum said. “And if they didn’t think they could make money providing that drug, that drug wouldn’t be here.” He also claimed it would “freeze innovation” if pharmaceutical companies were required to offer their drugs at a reasonable price.
  Although Santorum has been a vocal opponent of health care reform, his callous reaction is somewhat surprising given that he himself is the father of a daughter with a rare genetic disorder. But if the Colorado mother thought Santorum might be sympathetic to families in similar situations who happen to be less wealthy, she was sadly mistaken.

  
  
  http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/02/03/417657/santorum-tells-sick-kid-not-to-complain-about-1-million-drug-costs-because-people-pay-900-for-an-ipad/
  
  the cat is sympathetic towards his daughter
  but he can't put himself in another person's shoes
  especially since he can afford health care for her
  
  health is a big business in America
• Cynic wrote on 2012-02-05 05:56
  Comparing an iPad to Medication? Really?
  
  It's not as if anyone can afford an iPad either (and if they can, they should be able to afford the drugs), so using that as an excuse it useless. Ya' know, besides the fact one is a material item and the other is life-altering medication. But he's a typical rich Republican, so I'm not surprised.
• Mello wrote on 2012-02-05 06:42
  Somebody shoot Rick Santorum, please I am begging you, if Rick Santorum is voted to be my leader I am moving to the [S]moon[/S] another dimension, I would rather have ADOLF FKING HITLER as my leader.
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2012-02-05 07:00
  fortunately and unfortunately,
  when it comes to GOP nomination,
  it's either gonna be Romney or Gingrich
  both of them already won too much of the GOP party
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2012-02-05 07:15
  To be fair, drug companies has to charge high price for medicines for rare conditions. It usually takes almost a decade of research/development just to be approved by the FDA. That takes hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. If they don't make money off of selling that drug for a few years, what was the point of spending that much money to develop the drug? This especially applies to medicines for very rare conditions.
  
  After a certain amount of years when other companies are allow to make generics versions of that medicine, that drug company won't make very much money from selling that medicine as brand name. How often do you see people want the brand name medicine over the $4 generic? Some insurance won't even pay for the brand name for those medicines without a Prior Authorization, and some of those brand names are no longer in production anyways.
  
  $900 dollars for drugs for a child is a very abnormal case. Would the mother rather not have any medicine developed for rare conditions instead?
  
  Usually children have some kind of government aid for medicines anyway. High expensive brand name medicines usually have coupons from manufacturer sites that works along with insurance.
  
  Then again, I really hate those people with Medicaid type programs complaining about why their Medicaid won't cover their $4 drug while they carrying stuff like alcohol in the other hand.
• Claudia wrote on 2012-02-05 07:18
  Would've expected a guy who has a sick family member to care for to be a tad bit more sympathetic, or at least, understanding.
• Sayoko wrote on 2012-02-05 07:24
  I work at a pharmacy and I can tell you Abilify DOES NOT cost 1 mil per year. Not even close. With no insurance at all, Abilify costs 11 dollars a tablet. That's $3700 dollars a year assuming the normal dose of 1 tablet by mouth daily. He would need to take 30 bottles of ablify a day for costs to reach 1 mil.
  
  With basic insurance plans such as Harvard Pilgrim/Blue Cross Blue Shield, the cost of abilify is further reduced to 30 to 50 dollars a month depending on the copay tier it's in. That would make it about 600 dollars a year.
  
  Furthermore, if the child has a debilating illness, the government often comes in and covers a good portion of the cost ex. Medicaid
  
  As much as I hate Santorum's comment, I have to agree with it at the same time. People are so prone to spend money on useless junk and then complain about the costs of meds, which is so cheap in comparison. This one lady today at work bought about 80 dollars of beauty products, then picked up one of those overpriced 4.99 dollar celebrity trash talk magazines.
  
  Then when it came time for her prescriptions, her medicare part B effed up and it spewed out a $2.99 copay instead of being free. She decided to throw a fit, telling me how greedy CVS is, demanding her to pay up that measly copay when medicare part B is supposed to give free diabetic supplies to her.
  
  I told her that CVS doesn't even determine that copay and it must be an error on Medicare's behalf since they determine the prices. I then proceed to give the insurance company a call, and of course, the lady does not have the patience to wait while the insurance puts me on hold. She tells me that I'm ROBBING her money and that I have no right to charge her money for what is rightfully free.
  
  Uggggh......
• RicochetOrange wrote on 2012-02-05 07:27

  Quote from Sayoko;763445:

  I work at a pharmacy and I can tell you Abilify DOES NOT cost 1 mil per year. Not even close. With no insurance at all, Abilify costs 11 dollars a tablet. That's $3700 dollars a year assuming the normal dose of 1 tablet by mouth daily. He would need to take 30 bottles of ablify a day for costs to reach 1 mil.
  
  With basic insurance plans such as Harvard Pilgrim/Blue Cross Blue Shield, the cost of abilify is further reduced to 30 to 50 dollars a month depending on the copay tier it's in. That would make it about 600 dollars a month.
  
  Furthermore, if the child has a debilating illness, the government often comes in and covers a good portion of the cost ex. Medicaid

  
  
  Maybe they jacked up the prices in their area?
• Cynic wrote on 2012-02-05 07:31

  Quote from Sayoko;763445:

  I work at a pharmacy and I can tell you Abilify DOES NOT cost 1 mil per year. Not even close. With no insurance at all, Abilify costs 11 dollars a tablet. That's $3700 dollars a year assuming the normal dose of 1 tablet by mouth daily. He would need to take 30 bottles of ablify a day for costs to reach 1 mil.
  
  With basic insurance plans such as Harvard Pilgrim/Blue Cross Blue Shield, the cost of abilify is further reduced to 30 to 50 dollars a month depending on the copay tier it's in. That would make it about 600 dollars a month.
  
  Furthermore, if the child has a debilating illness, the government often comes in and covers a good portion of the cost ex. Medicaid

  
  
  > Implying everyone can still afford that much a month.
  
  Medication is expensive as hell. Most pharmacies in my area tend to charge extra (even for the non-generic stuff, which tends to have annoying and/or nasty side effects), especially if you don't have health insurance or medical coupons.
  
  The government doesn't really give a crap if you need the medication to function, so chances are they won't even bother to listen, let alone actually help you.
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2012-02-05 07:32

  Quote from RicochetOrange;763447:

  Maybe they jacked up the prices in their area?

  
  
  the cat has a feeling that the mother didn't list all the medication that her child takes
  her child must be taking way more than Abilify to reach 1 million
• Sayoko wrote on 2012-02-05 07:33

  Quote from RicochetOrange;763447:

  Maybe they jacked up the prices in their area?

  
  
  I highly doubt it. All the major retail chains (walgreens, rite aid, cvs) have uniform prices all throughout the country. Furthermore, non-retail chains such as Walmart, Stop and Shop, Target and Costco offer cheaper prices.
  
  If one place sells RX drugs at 300 times the price of other places, no one would go there.
  
  Point is, people QQ too much about medication prices when they don't even think twice about buying a 100 dollar worth of itunes cards.
• EndlessDreams wrote on 2012-02-05 07:37

  Quote from Cynic;763457:

  
  Medication is expensive as hell. Most pharmacies in my area tend to charge extra (even for the non-generic stuff, which tends to have annoying and/or nasty side effects), especially if you don't have health insurance or medical coupons.

  
  
  You do realize that brand name medicines almost always cost more than generic medicines right?
  
  All medicines have the potential for side effects. That is what the doctor and pharmacists are for. They are supposed to help you with your medicines if you have nasty side effects.
  
  Doctors do more than just write prescriptions, and pharmacists do more than just put medicines in bottles.
  
  

  Quote from Cynic;763457:

  
  The government doesn't really give a crap if you need the medication to function, so chances are they won't even bother to listen, let alone actually help you.

  
  
  Actually, the government do help people. That is what programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and other such programs are for...
  
  Of course, when Obama tries to create his "Obama-care" for everyone, which tries to provide health insurance for more people, people are all complaining about socialized medicines or some crazy stuff.
  
  

  Quote from Sayoko;763463:

  
  If one place sells RX drugs at 300 times the price of other places, no one would go there.
  

  
  
  The exception would be if that place is like a Pain Management clinic that sells C2 pain medicines to anyone who willing to pay cash like the ones in Florida that were mass shut down by the DEA recently.
• TheKartheus wrote on 2012-02-05 08:41
  I feel like Santorum's reasoning is generally correct. There's no reason to argue about it with a mom who is caring for a sick child though; that's where the main fault lies.
• Mello wrote on 2012-02-05 09:04

  Quote from TheKartheus;763570:

  I feel like Santorum's reasoning is generally correct. There's no reason to argue about it with a mom who is caring for a sick child though; that's where the main fault lies.

  
  
  DONT YOU EVER SAY RICK SANTORUM!!! THAT IS A HORRIBLE INSULT TO ANYBODY OR ANYTHING!!!!!
• Yoorah wrote on 2012-02-05 09:31
  Rick Santorum's only fault here is that he acted like a real insensitive asshole. Or at least, that's what it looks like from this one-sided, biased news story. Maybe the mom was a *****, too.
  
  That aside, his argument is correct. Just as Sayoko described, many people don't value their money and spend it on useless crap, then expect someone else to pay for their necessities. Santorum's comments here were spot on. And really, what did that woman expect from confronting a fiscal conservative about such an issue? She should already know that if she wants more taxpayer funded subsidies, she should be voting for Obama. It's not something that Santorum stands for. In a way, I think he did a good job for standing up for what he believes in and not sugar-coating some political BS instead.