Letters to the Editor: November 2008

High-Priced Drugs

The juxtaposition of the presidential candidates’ positions on the question of health care [“Your Issues, Their Words,” October] and the article about “Million-Dollar Medicines” revealed what is missing in the health care debate. Instead of policies based on subsidizing the price of drugs, policies should be explored to subsidize research and development for specialty drugs.

The article points out that speciality drugs account for “about 25 percent of all money spent on drugs in this country,” their costs are expected to rise to “$99 billion in 2010,” and in two years half of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration will be specialty drugs. Meanwhile, the industry says that their high prices reflect the high cost of R&D.

If the federal government can subsidize the auto industry to retool, certainly we should consider drug industry policies that might be more cost-effective at the front end rather than at the end point. —Nancy Bushwick-Malloy, Bethesda, Md.

The Cost of Care

I retired five years ago. I have had the prostate-specific antigen test annually for the past 13 years. Since I retired, I have had at least a $2,000 deductible (or more) on my health insurance. The PSA testing cost me approximately $260 ($60 to my doctor’s office and $200 to the hospital where my blood was drawn and analyzed).

This year I asked my doctor to draw my blood in his office to save money. We discussed that my insurance plan does not cover lab work. He offered a discount if he could bill me directly and not file with my insurance company. By not using my insurance, I paid only $55 ($30 for the office visit, $7.50 to draw my blood and $17.50 for the lab analysis). I am very grateful to my doctor.—Jeff Rohr, Salesville, Ohio

An Oil Slip?

In “'Drake’s Folly’ Becomes Washington’s Folly,” the editor started out by reporting three things: (1) Since 1975 U.S. energy consumption has grown 40 percent; (2) while U.S. oil production has dropped 32 percent, (3) oil imports have more than doubled. Then he went on to talk about political gridlock in Washington.

I wish the author had researched and reported to us what laws and regulations were passed—prior to and since 1975—that hampered oil companies from producing enough to keep up with our growing consumption.—Ira E. Meadows, St. Louis

Corrections

The Alpha Sudoku puzzle should have been credited to Frank Stolzenberg of Bloomfield, Conn.