Medical Question for the non-Americans here
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Recently the news outlets here have been running stories on the increasing prices of life saving drugs, like the EpiPen[^]. Here in US they are charging $600 for a pack of two. I am curious to what the rest of the world pays for EpiPens.
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Effectively no cost in Australia. As Pete said, that's what we pay taxes for.
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That's what we pay taxes for.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
That's what we pay taxes for.
Exactly.
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Recently the news outlets here have been running stories on the increasing prices of life saving drugs, like the EpiPen[^]. Here in US they are charging $600 for a pack of two. I am curious to what the rest of the world pays for EpiPens.
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
I also heard today on the news that it only costs approx. $1 US, to produce the chemical in the pen, which adds to the controversy.
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Effectively no cost in Australia. As Pete said, that's what we pay taxes for.
Depends what you call no-cost. Your post is misleading. The current over the counter price in Australia is about $120 per pen. As it is included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme[^] the cost to an Australian resident is $38.30 or $6.20 if you are entitled to a health care card PBS Epipen[^]. The PBS costs taxpayers $10 billion per year in total. Now that isn't all. To get a PBS entitlement a prescription is required which entails a visit to the doctor. This will cost nothing for a pensioner but about $70-$37 = $33 for the average person (Medicare rebate). This means the cost of the Epipen is $38.30 + $33 = $71.30 for the normal taxpayer. The pen lasts for a year as does a prescription so this will require an annual renewal even if the pen is unused.
Peter Wasser "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
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Also, they expire every 12 months, which I think is a scam. Surely it would be effective for longer than that? :|
Regards, Nish
Website: www.voidnish.com Blog: voidnish.wordpress.com
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It may be. My reply was based on the price I found at a Canadian distributor on the web. /ravi
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Ravi Bhavnani wrote:
It may be.
It would be if prescribed by a Dr., minus of course the fees the pharmacy charge for dispensing a boxed product. I have a few friends that have them for their kids for peanuts, seafood, bees, etc. Ken
Thanks! /ravi
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Depends what you call no-cost. Your post is misleading. The current over the counter price in Australia is about $120 per pen. As it is included in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme[^] the cost to an Australian resident is $38.30 or $6.20 if you are entitled to a health care card PBS Epipen[^]. The PBS costs taxpayers $10 billion per year in total. Now that isn't all. To get a PBS entitlement a prescription is required which entails a visit to the doctor. This will cost nothing for a pensioner but about $70-$37 = $33 for the average person (Medicare rebate). This means the cost of the Epipen is $38.30 + $33 = $71.30 for the normal taxpayer. The pen lasts for a year as does a prescription so this will require an annual renewal even if the pen is unused.
Peter Wasser "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
Wow, I stand corrected. I was told recently that most life-saving drugs are to be given at no cost, but it appears that it's applicable only if it were administered in a public hospital while an eligible (medicare) patient is admitted.
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Forogar wrote:
In the UK, effectively zero.
:omg:
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
Not really true if you include the taxes and premiums they have to pay to fund their medical system.
#SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun
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Wow, I stand corrected. I was told recently that most life-saving drugs are to be given at no cost, but it appears that it's applicable only if it were administered in a public hospital while an eligible (medicare) patient is admitted.
Indeed, most patients (who are covered by Medicare only) admitted to a public hospital do not pay anything for their entire stay. In fact they are not even allowed to bring their own medications or self administer while in hospital. It is all provided by the public health system.
Peter Wasser "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell
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Recently the news outlets here have been running stories on the increasing prices of life saving drugs, like the EpiPen[^]. Here in US they are charging $600 for a pack of two. I am curious to what the rest of the world pays for EpiPens.
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
In Hobbitland, NZ$120 per pen. But if it's used by a patient as treatment for an anaphylactic reaction caused by an injury covered by ACC (our taxpayer funded universal accident insurance scheme) they'll cover the cost. And if you have private health cover your provider may reimburse the cost. So varies from sort-of-free to not-free-at-all...
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I also heard today on the news that it only costs approx. $1 US, to produce the chemical in the pen, which adds to the controversy.
I don't think there is any relationship between the cost of manufacture and the retail price of drugs, seems to be whatever they can get away with. There is an astonishingly large variation between countries for some drugs.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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In the UK, effectively zero.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
Twood be interesting to know what the NHS actually pays. We have the PBS system in Oz that is similar, the cost to the PBS is not transparent.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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Recently the news outlets here have been running stories on the increasing prices of life saving drugs, like the EpiPen[^]. Here in US they are charging $600 for a pack of two. I am curious to what the rest of the world pays for EpiPens.
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
I wonder why it is so cheap? Since drug company in the US can charge whatever price they want and some have no competition and the US health department is forbidden by law to bargain...
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There is sometimes a nominal Rx charge.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
Not in Wales: prescriptions are all free.
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Also, they expire every 12 months, which I think is a scam. Surely it would be effective for longer than that? :|
Regards, Nish
Website: www.voidnish.com Blog: voidnish.wordpress.com
Not necessarily - epinephrine is volatile, and degrades pretty quickly: particularly when it gets too warm. The 12 months limit is probably half the actual usability under "good" storage conditions, but to be effective in the hands of all users it needs to be kept shorter for safety.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Recently the news outlets here have been running stories on the increasing prices of life saving drugs, like the EpiPen[^]. Here in US they are charging $600 for a pack of two. I am curious to what the rest of the world pays for EpiPens.
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
The price after National Insurance's subvention seems to be ~55 USD in Hungary, this is the price I should pay to buy it. Possibly some people can get it for free.
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Not necessarily - epinephrine is volatile, and degrades pretty quickly: particularly when it gets too warm. The 12 months limit is probably half the actual usability under "good" storage conditions, but to be effective in the hands of all users it needs to be kept shorter for safety.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
It's probably cheaper in the UK because we use Adrenaline! :laugh:
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Recently the news outlets here have been running stories on the increasing prices of life saving drugs, like the EpiPen[^]. Here in US they are charging $600 for a pack of two. I am curious to what the rest of the world pays for EpiPens.
if (Object.DividedByZero == true) { Universe.Implode(); } Meus ratio ex fortis machina. Simplicitatis de formae ac munus. -Foothill, 2016
10-20 € if not prescripted (aka: independently taken precautions), 1-2 € if prescripted. That's what taxes are for and the biggest costs for our SSN come from organized crime (a normal siringe costs 1c, in southern Italy they account 5c... from the same company with the same selling price) and scams like fake cancer cures from Literature graduates. Still it's cheaper this way and all in all the Italian hospital system ain't as bad as we think compared to the rest of the world. The real problem are the queues to access the SSN treatments and diagnosis - from 6 months to 2 years even for threatening situations. We have to thank all the 65+, as they have free access to the medical system and usually are hypocondriacs, and the extension to every clandestine immigrant of the SSN free of charge.
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Not in Wales: prescriptions are all free.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
