Addiction and Sexuality: Sex and Drugs

Since 2003, the FDA has approved a slew of new biological medications to treat psoriasis, which most low-income people are unable to obtain due to soaring prescription prices that Medicaid and Medicare would not cover. At $200 per bottle, Medicaid and Medicare cover the new blood thinner "Eliquis." The government also covers the cost of COPD inhalers, which are relatively new and cost around $150 each. Some states cover hearing aids that cost $400 or more, while others do not. So why isn't the government covering the cost of the new biological medications that have been available to treat psoriasis since 2003?

This is probably the point at which I'll respond to the question I just posed to the readers of this essay. These biological medications to treat psoriasis will not be available to those on Medicaid or Medicare due to cost, according to the author of the linked article I posted to go with this article. The exorbitant expense of these drugs has moved patients on Medicaid and Medicare away from receiving treatment with them. The majority of the cost of "biologicals" is covered by Medicare Part D prescription medication plans, but the copay ranges from $1200 to $5000, preventing many people from receiving them.

The spin is that a handful of these biological pharma businesses run initiatives to provide free drugs to low-income individuals with private insurance. In a number of publications I've read, drug firms have claimed that people who have Medicare or Medicaid are ineligible for the free programmes. GoodRx.com's quote: Humira is available for $5,130.76 on GoodRx, which is 38% less than the average retail price of $8,309.04. Belviq Class ActionLawsuit

Because these biological psoriasis treatments aren't life-saving, Medicare and Medicaid don't consider the drug firms' exorbitant prices to be required. The pharmaceutical industry is well aware of this and prefers it to remain that way. When these biological psoriasis treatments first hit the market in 2003, they were relatively inexpensive, and insurance companies would cover the price if a moderate deductible was met. After 2012, insurance companies began to exclude persons with psoriasis due to rising costs of biological therapies.

The "Epipen Injector," which is used to treat heroin overdoses, was targeted by the US government when the company's owner raised the price to the point where only the ultra-rich could buy it. Generic Epipen is covered by Medicaid and Medicare in some states, however brand names are not. I've come to the conclusion that this, and other high prescription prices, are preventing many people on Medicare and Medicaid from accessing these medications.

Please, please, please! Of course, it's a case of cooperation between members of Congress and the "Big Pharma" pharmaceutical industry. When collusion deals go poorly, however, the pharmaceutical industry is obliged to bear the brunt of the blame. When schemes to obtain personal wealth come to light, such as the current opioid pandemic, where pharma firms are paying billions of dollars to states, our congressional representatives who gained from opioids through insider trading can walk around with little fear of repercussions.