Well that sucks...

[Emperor Zurg]

If they want to mitigate rising healthcare costs, they should be going after people like Martin Shkreli or Valent Pharmaceuticals, not the consumer. I'd wager a large amount that the majority of increases in costs are based on gouging of the consumer than the overall health of Americans declining.

Well sh!t flows down hill. Pharmaceutical companies have money and lobbyists. That puts them on higher ground than mom & pop cigar rolling operations. Plus, you have to be very careful when you talk about cutting profits on Pharmaceutical companies because as soon as it becomes unprofitable to fund R&D on new medicines there will be no new medicines. You think those companies are researching cures for cancer and AIDS out of the goodness of their hearts? Hell no, they're doing it because they stand to make billions if they come up with a working cure.

Second, the health care consumer, in large part, doesn't pay for his prescription drugs. His insurance plan does. Therefore he could care less about what the pills cost, all he knows is that his premiums are too high already and they keep going up. So that's what he bitches about and that's how he casts his vote: "LOWER MY INSURANCE COSTS, DAMMIT!!" The trouble (IMO) is that there are far too many people looking to the government for help. I don't want their help. I just want to pay my own way without their help and be free to choose my health care in a truly capitalist system... but we are far removed from that possibility today.

[Woodted]

I just want to pay my own way without their help and be free to choose my health care in a truly capitalist system... but we are far removed from that possibility today.

Problem is, there are too many that want to suck off the system rather than fend for themselves!