Manhattan Tribune Explains How Drug Dealing, Coupons and Bribery Affect the Price of Prescription Medicine
Drug prices are skyrocketing and the details behind it are about as clear as mud. Strangely, the more confused you are, the more you pay! Let us break down the top three factors that drive the price of prescription medicine way up:
1. Drug Dealing: Yes, you heard it right- drug dealers are messing with the price of your medication. But not from that sketchy alleyway on 54th Street. Rather, drug manufacturers (the real drug dealers) are hiking up the price of their products by creating a scarcity in the supply chain. This way, when the pharmacy is on its knees begging for a resupply, the manufacturers can charge absurdly high prices, and the sick customers have no choice but to pay up. What a sneaky move!
2. Coupons: You may feel like a smart shopper when you get that coupon in the mail, but beware; you’re being hoodwinked! Often, these coupons are a fantasy that ultimately benefit no one but the drug companies themselves. They may reduce your co-pay in the short term, but in the long term, they cause drug prices to go up as manufacturers raise the sticker price to make up for the discount they gave you. So much for a bargain.
3. Bribery: If you were wondering why the prescription you received had the name of a drug company you never heard of, it’s because of the shady world of rebates. The drug companies offer rebates to middlemen such as pharmacies, to encourage them to sell more of their products. These rebates are only given for certain drugs, creating an incentive for the middlemen to push those drugs instead of other, often cheaper, alternatives. These shady deals ultimately mean higher prices for the end buyer — you.
So there you have it, folks. The real reasons why we pay hundreds of dollars for a few pills that probably cost pennies to make. But don’t take our word for it, let your empty wallet be the proof.
