[macNchz]

> Is there any reason the "Farmacia" model of Latin American countries, where you go in and pay per-pill for whatever you want wouldn't work here?

It seems that, at least in Mexico, this model leads to massive overuse of antibiotics as people self medicate colds/flu and other things that don’t need them.*

Facing increased antibiotic resistance, letting people decide for themselves when they need antibiotics seems like a mistake, especially given that many Americans already “shop” between doctors until one will prescribe the antibiotics they think they need (prompted in some cases through the perverse incentives of patient satisfaction surveys).

Never mind the decision making around which specific medication may be most effective for a particular condition in light of potential side effects that the average person may not know much about, for example the potential for long term disabling damage from fluoroquinolones–see people preemptively asking their doctor for a Cipro prescription “just in case” they get diarrhea while traveling.

* https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/mexicos-discount-h...