The greed of pharmaceutical companies and the cost of life-saving drugs in this country is truly is a crime, nothing less.
Coming from a family with a long line of health problems, I can attest to the fact that the cost of life-saving medicine in this country is absurd. To the pharmaceutical companies that charge an outrageous amount of money for life-saving drugs, not only is it wrong, it is completely immoral.
The price pharmaceutical companies charge for life-saving drugs reminds me of that old commercial where the fisherman has the dollar bill on the end of his line, and a girl tries picking it up, but then the fisherman pulls it back and says, “Awww, you almost had it.”
There are plans in place to assist people, but in no way is that enough. I’ve seen so many people affected in my own community that it’s heart-wrenching. And the idea that it’s legal to raise a price based on demand of a medication, let alone a medication needed to live, is just wrong.
A 10 mL vial of insulin in Canada cost roughly $30 for someone who is uninsured. Now take a guess how much it cost and United States. I’ll wait.
The average bottle of insulin for the uninsured costs $320, costing the average diabetic roughly $3,000 a month to live. This is a crime.
In northern tier states, people go to Canada to purchase insulin illegally and bring it back into the United States not to resell, but to use.
So buying an item that’s necessary to live for an affordable price is illegal, while here in the United States a business can charge an increased price because of the need. And yet somehow that is legal.
That is a shame on the pharmaceutical companies, and it is a shame that this has not been a problem that’s been solved yet. In a country where everyone is free to live as they will, but where they can’t live if they can’t afford the medication, it’s damn crime.
So, next time you take your medication, be grateful. Because someone might not be so lucky.
Hunter Ronald Bortner
Hunter Ronald Bortner is a student at Utah State University.
