When I left medical practice after 30 years, I was tired and cynical, but also disgusted by the shabby mess into which the medical practice environment had evolved. That is how I came to move north and take up my secondary passion of flying. I thought long and hard about how to fix the system, but gave up and just concentrated on the air taxi business. I hardly mentioned that I was a doctor. Today, I think about the problems again, but the health care environment seems even worse.
I do investments, which keeps us afloat since retiring from flying. One cannot go far in investing without attracting all kinds of investment newsletters and promotions for investment advice – for a price. I always thought that if these promoters were so good and their advice so valuable, why would they waste their time soliciting subscriptions. Anyway, I got this newsletter in the mail today and was drawn to the title `Junior Pharma.`
Most people in the health care business but few consumers realize that pharmaceutical companies re-engineer their high priced drug before the patent expires in order to re-patent the same product and maintain the high price.
Etc. etc. The newsletter goes on promoting a company that will serve the interests of Big Pharma in this `evergreening` strategy -- positioning itself as a probable buyout candidate.
Monopoly, privatization of research, deregulation all brings us to this dingy manipulation of patent laws. Deregulating the post office and the railways didn't do so well either. The airlines are not far behind and then there are the banks. It’s a balance isn't it. Too far in either direction, over regulation or no regulation, leads to disaster. What is so hard to understand about balance?
In Nature Magazine this week[2], an Australian private insurance company, NIB, offers discounted genetic testing. The fine print reads, “You may be required to disclose genetic test results --- to life insurance providers.” Guess who doesn't get insured?"
2] Nature vol463 Feb 2010, p854 News Briefs referencing “The Age”
No comments:
Post a Comment