“People have no problem paying $900 for an iPad, but paying $900 for a drug they have a problem with — it keeps you alive. Why? Because you’ve been conditioned to think health care is something you can get without having to pay for it… He’s alive today because drug companies provide care. And if they didn’t think they could make money providing that drug, that drug wouldn’t be here. I sympathize with these compassionate cases. … I want your son to stay alive on much-needed drugs. Fact is, we need companies to have incentives to make drugs. If they don’t have incentives, they won’t make those drugs. We either believe in markets or we don’t.”—
Rick Santorum, speaking to the mother of a young boy in Colorado about the free market and prescription drug prices. She told Santorum her son’s medication could cost up to $1 million per year.
One drug her son is taking is Abilify, which is used in children to treat schizophrenia; aggression associated with conduct disorder, autism, or other behavioral disorders; and Bipolar Disorder I. We can debate the merits of children taking anti-psychotic medication another time. The fact remains: Abilify is ridiculously expensive.
How expensive?
Visiting Walgreen’s site tells quite the story. All prices are discounted slightly by their prescription price club, meaning the cost at a local pharmacy may be higher or lower:
- Abilify 2mg: $606.04/mo. | $7,272.48/yr
- Abilify 5mg: $623.99/mo. | $7,487.88/yr
- Abilify 10mg: $623.99/mo. | $7,487.88/yr
- Abilify 15mg: $606.04/mo. | $7,272.48/yr
- Abilify 20mg: $855.37/mo. | $10,264.44/yr
- Abilify 30mg: $855.37/mo. | $10,264.44/yr
- Abilify Discmelt 10mg tablets: $720.56/mo. | $8,646.72/yr
- Abilify Discmelt 15mg tablets: $720.56/mo. | $8,646.72/yr
- Abilify 1mg solution: $1329.03/mo. | $15,948.36/yr
And just to put Rick Santorum’s iPad/drug cost claim in perspective, that’s like buying an iPad every single month. It’s illogical and completely specious to compare necessary medication to an unnecessary iPad. But for fun, I’m going to parse it out as a 30-day cost like the prescription drug above:
- iPad 16GB with WiFi: $499.00 | $41.58/mo
- iPad 32GB with WiFi: $599.00 | $49.92/mo
- iPad 64GB with WiFi: $699.00 | $58.25/mo
- iPad 16GB with WiFi + 3G: $629.00 | $52.42/mo
- iPad 32GB with WiFi + 3G: $729.00 | $60.75/mo
- iPad 64GB with WiFi + 3G: $829.00 | $69.08/mo
I bet that mother would be thrilled if her son’s yearly drug costs were that of an iPad.
You’d think Rick Santorum might have more compassion, since he and his wife are parents to a 3-year-old girl with severe developmental disabilities requiring expensive care. Isabella Santorum is also quite lucky that her father, a former U.S. Senator, has a magnificent, comprehensive health care plan courtesy of the U.S. taxpayers. I’d like to see every child afforded the same health care his daughter receives.
And no, I don’t care if my taxes go up to do it.
(via cognitivedissonance)
fucking. moron.
