Category Archives: Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

At least 70% of health care spending is related to lifestyle

Posted on March 7, 2012 | 11 Comments

After millions of years of evolution, the body shape of Americans changed dramatically in just two decades. Back in 1991, only four U.S. states reported obesity rates exceeding 15 percent. By 2002, all 50 states had passed that milestone, making us the heaviest developed nation on earth. Then it got worse – today, more than 20 percent of the citizens in every state except Colorado are obese. In some states, it’s much worse. Nationally, two of every five Americans are obese, compared to two of every 28 French citizens and fewer than two of every hundred Japanese. Continue reading →

→ 11 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Obesity

Healthcare cost being shifted more to consumers

Posted on February 21, 2012 | 1 Comment

High-deductible health insurance is becoming more common, according to survey data reported by the Employee Benefit Research Institute last December. In 2011, 27.7 million working-age people were enrolled in a health plan with a deductible of at least $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for families. The proportion of insured Americans who have this type of coverage has more than doubled since 2005, the report says. This coming at a time when most insurers are reporting record profits as people forgo healthcare treatments. Continue reading →

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged High-deductible health plan, Insurance

Should doctors be able to fire patients ?

Posted on February 15, 2012 | 4 Comments

Doctors don’t much like the idea of patients rating them online and they don’t like the idea of their ratings being tied to their payments. Should doctors, though, be able to fire patients who don’t follow treatment recommendations and continue to endanger themselves with unhealthy lifestyle choices ? Continue reading →

→ 4 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Health, Patient

Health emergency: Type 2 diabetes

Posted on January 21, 2012 | 5 Comments

Unless we develop better programs for detecting people with elevated blood sugar and helping them to improve their diet and physical activity and control their weight, diabetes will inevitably continue to impose a major burden on health systems around the world,“ Goodarz Danaei said from the Harvard School of Public Health in the United States. The most common type of diabetes, Type 2, is strongly associated with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, which means Americans are not doing what the have to stay healthy and fit. Continue reading →

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Diabetes

The social and financial costs of diabetes

Posted on January 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

The announcement that Nova is going to use Paula Deen as a spokesperson for their products has been met by a lot of criticism including this author. We have to remember that Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and that a nationwide education and community-based lifestyle programs are what is desperately needed if we are to confront this disease and it’s terrible costs. Continue reading →

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Diabetes, Diabetes mellitus

Pfizer’s agressive move on Lipitor: Who really benefits

Posted on November 30, 2011 | 2 Comments

According to today’s Times: “With Pfizer’s plans to try to maintain brand loyalty for the next six months becoming public, industry analysts have raised the company’s earnings outlook by 2 to 4 percent, and now estimate that it could retain 40 percent of the market through next year. Pfizer officials declined to comment on that estimate.” So who really benefits here ? The answer is simple..investors and Wall Street. Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Atorvastatin, Generic drug, Medicare, Medicare Part D, Pfizer, Pharmaceutical industry, Prescription drug, Wall Street

The cost of healthcare

Posted on November 29, 2011 | 1 Comment

According to the Organization for Economic Development we spend $7,960 per person per year for health care in the U.S., totaling about $2.5 trillion. In comparison, the average OECD country spends $3,233 per person annually for health care. The U.S. Government currently covers 46% of U.S. health care expenditures, which means taxpayers foot the bill for $1.13 trillion of health care spending. In other words, taxpayers already pay $3,660 per person of the $7,960 annual bill for health care. Continue reading →

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Direct-to-consumer advertising, Health care, Pharmaceutical industry, Prescription drug

Not watching what you eat and not exercising means higher insurance costs

Posted on November 3, 2011 | 3 Comments

It’s about time. More employers are imposing financial penalties on employees who say “No thanks” to wellness programs which means that if you want a burger and fries for lunch instead of a nice brisk walk you’re going to pay for your bad habits. The questions is will additional financial incentives be enough to get people to take responsibility for their own health ? Continue reading →

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Employment, Health

Lipitor $4 co-pay card may not be enough

Posted on November 2, 2011 | 2 Comments

Pfizer is doing everything it can to keep Lipitor afloat as it approches patent expiration but even a $4.00 co-pay car may not be enough. As someone who takes Lipitor I was taken back by a letter from my insurer informing me that a generic version of Lipitor will be available by the end of the month and that there are also other generic statins available at a much lower cost. While they did not really give me any personal financial incentive to switch to generics it’s obvious that the push is on. Continue reading →

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Atorvastatin, Food and Drug Administration, Health, Lipitor, OTC, Pfizer, United States, Wall Street

Alarming trend: Fewer visits to the doctor

Posted on October 31, 2011 | 3 Comments

The headline has alarming news “Decline in doctor office visits could be permanent.” Studies suggest that recent declines reflect cost-conscious patients training themselves to avoid making an appointment unless they believe it’s absolutely necessary. This is a serious problem for our nations healthcare and for drug marketers and it requires all of us to rethink basic DTC marketing. Continue reading →

→ 3 Comments

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

The importance of strategic planning in the drug industry

Posted on October 25, 2011 | 1 Comment

Global drugmakers have cut tens of thousands of jobs ahead of patent expirations on their top-selling products, while a growing squeeze on medicine prices by cash-strapped governments is adding to the pressure to cut costs. The vast sales forces for major drugs going off patent, such as Pfizer’s cholesterol fighter Lipitor, are among the most obvious targets for job cuts but pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to optimize manufacturing productivity by closing less efficient factories. Some of this was easy to see coming and we have to wonder where was the strategic planning ? Continue reading →

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Cost of healthcare in the U.S.

Tagged Atorvastatin, Drug development, Drug discovery, Novartis, Obama administration, Pfizer, Pharmaceutical industry, Strategic planning