[Nasrudith]

Monosopy doesn't depend upon anything the US does. They have local control of IP even if they tied it to others.

There would be costs involved but they can always tell them to get stuffed and manufacture their own if they won't be reasonable. Notably there is a lack of pharmaceutical companies who decide to abandon world markets entirely because positive N is always greater than 0.

[StreamBright]

I mean US produces recently the 57% percent of new drugs.

https://media.xconomy.com/wordpress/wp-content/images/2014/0...

I am not sure this explains the discrepancy between the healthcare cost between US and Switzerland.

More in depth analysis:

"There were two causes of this massive increase: government policy and lifestyle changes.

First, the United States relies on company-sponsored private health insurance. The government created programs like Medicare and Medicaid to help those without insurance. These programs spurred demand for health care services. That gave providers the ability to raise prices. A Princeton University study found that Americans use the same amount of health care as residents of other nations. They just pay more for them. For example, U.S. hospital prices are 60 percent higher than those in Europe. Government efforts to reform health care and cut costs raised them instead. Second, chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, have increased. They are responsible for 85 percent of health care costs. Almost half of all Americans have at least one of them. They are expensive and difficult to treat. As a result, the sickest 5 percent of the population consume 50 percent of total health care costs. The healthiest 50 percent only consume 3 percent of the nation's health care costs. Most of these patients are Medicare patients. The U.S. medical profession does a heroic job of saving lives. But it comes at a cost. Medicare spending for patients in the last year of life is six times greater than the average. Care for these patients costs one-fourth of the Medicare budget. In their last six months of life, these patients go to the doctor's office 29 times on average. In their last month of life, half go to the emergency room. One-third wind up in the intensive care unit. One fifth undergo surgery. "

https://www.thebalance.com/causes-of-rising-healthcare-costs...

You can read the rest it is very informative. I still don't think that healthcare cost in the US is caused by the rest of the world not paying their fair share in drug discovery.

[tripzilch]

> For example, U.S. hospital prices are 60 percent higher than those in Europe.

That's a rather weird statement.. I suppose it's true in some sense, but what I'm reading online from real people in the US is that they get bills that are easily 10-100x as much money for going to the hospital than I get.

There's a few others I wonder about:

> These programs spurred demand for health care services. That gave providers the ability to raise prices.

At least requires some numbers, because I'm constantly hearing about Americans not going to the doctor because for the real fear it might bankrupt them.

> The healthiest 50 percent only consume 3 percent of the nation's health care costs.

This is also questionable. Again maybe technically true, but not suitable for conclusions.

The ailments, pain and other bad stuff that Americans will walk around with instead of going to the doctor is incredible (again for the real fear it might bankrupt them). In the US I spoke to a real person who was trying DIY dentistry. There was an AskReddit thread about what general advice doctors say people shouldn't do, and the top advice was: don't perform operations on yourself.

I'm pretty sure it's the price driving down demand.

> The U.S. medical profession does a heroic job of saving lives.

Wait, why does it suddenly stop comparing to the EU?

> But it comes at a cost. Medicare spending for patients in the last year of life is six times greater than the average. Care for these patients costs one-fourth of the Medicare budget. In their last six months of life, these patients go to the doctor's office 29 times on average. In their last month of life, half go to the emergency room. One-third wind up in the intensive care unit. One fifth undergo surgery.

And this is different in the EU because ... ?

I don't like these statistics. I think they're using them to lie with.

[malandrew]

drug costs are only one piece of healthcare costs. You're comparing apples and oranges.

[StreamBright]

dillondoyle>> Fucked up private insurance in US, they charge that much and then do the reimbursement so they can bill the huge monthly cost to plans / government that will cover it.

I was reflecting to this. If drug cost is part of healthcare cost than by definition it cannot be apples to oranges comparison.