Drug Costs

We're all aware of the obscene increases in the price of insulin and the Epipen. But it's not just those drugs. All drugs are fast getting more expensive.

I'm doing bookkeeping in preparation for taxes, and I could see how the prices are going up. I have Plan D, which means I don't pay the full costs of the drug, but in the following I'll use the full cost so the results won't be affected by the rules of the plan. Here are some examples, all in 2019. I get drugs mail-order and each order is for 3 months.

Ezetimibe (generic Zetia) increased by 2.56 times

    April, $24.50
    July, $36.75
    October, $44.88
    December, $62.83

Omeprazole (generic Prilosec)  increased by 4.8 times
    January, $5.89 
    April, $10.59
    July, $19.38
    October, $28.42
    December, $28.42

Lisinopril (went up then down; maybe they negotiated a new contract)
    January, $2.20
    April, $5.54
    September, $10.48
    December, $6.05

Pravastatin doubled
    April, $21.06
    July, $36.16
    October, $45.97
    December, $43.53   

Some drugs did stay the same, including Levemir, $926, but I paid only $30.

What will we do if the drug costs double, or more, every year? Will it come to choosing between food and shelter and drugs? Some people are already doing that with insulin, and some deaths have resulted from people with type 1 reducing their insulin doses to save money. That's criminal in a country whose president has spent more than $13 million on golfing trips. Where are our priorities? Does golf for some matter more than lives of others?

We must figure out a fair way to provide life-saving drugs to those who need them.