This has nothing to do with quilting, though I found it very profound and necessary to share.

I had to see a hematologist yesterday.  My white blood count has been higher than deemed appropriate, so my primary care physician referred me to a hematologist to see what they could see.  Hematologist said I was fine, if my number goes above 15 to come back and he’d worry.  Until then, get out of his office and have a nice day (totally nice man and funny, too).

But, he did ask about the Copaxone injections I take.  My husband explained the timeline of when I was diagnosed and when I started on them.  He asked questions such as why a three-month discrepancy, and hubster explained that we had to fill out the financial aid documents because there was no way we could afford $5000 per month of daily shots.   I added that the meds were developed and come from another country, and the doctor said it would be interesting to find out what that country charges for the meds if you lived there – he’d guess $250 a month instead of what they charge in the United States (and he was not U.S. born, so it had nothing to do with it being an issue over that type of thing).

NOT the right thing to say, as the hematologist quickly got excited and animated about his feelings on the subject.

His office is in a cancer center, because many cancer patients need blood work done before their treatments and some cancers involve the blood while all other treatments require watching blood levels.  So, his response was totally understandable, but I could have walked out of there and my husband and he would still be talking about the cost of medications and healthcare.  🙂

He explained that a certain cancer drug was developed to treat end-stage colon cancer.  When the drug was approved and came out to the mass market, its cost was $17,000 (cannot remember if that was per dose or per year, but it is high, no matter how you look at it).

After good results, doctors began trying the drug on people with other types of cancer, and found that it was effective for a number of cancers that were in their early stages; hence, it was used widely across the nation.

Did the price of the drug change?  NO.  Even though it was more widely used, even though the pharmaceutical company who did the research and development of it and then sold it had obviously already recouped their investment.  The cost remains the same.

It incensed the good doctor.  It made him SO mad that these drugs were not available to ALL people who needed them because some egghead put a price on them.  When asked by professionals why it cost so much for the patients, the drug company said:  “Because that is what the market will bear.”  That made him even more agitated.  It had NOTHING to do with R & D or manufacturing the meds or marketing them and everything to do with some random dollar amount they felt the market would bear.  And they have not changed their price because the market is still bearing it.  It is a much-needed form of chemotherapy for people who would die without it.

Where is the patient advocacy?  Where are the pharmaceutical companies in this supposed great health care package our government is trying to develop?

But, the bottom line to him was where are the people who could not afford the medicine?

All valid points.  All reasons why he accepts Medicaid insurance for those of us who do not have other forms of insurance.  And all reasons why individuals really need to be taking a good, hard look at what our future holds – because without the funds or insurance, you might as well buy your burial plot and begin planning your funeral now – because if you are ever stricken with a disease that has medicine that is not affordable to you, you can kiss the rest of your life goodbye.