How things has changed since we have middlemen to “save us money” ?

I often post about the average prescription price was $4 – $5… before the PBM’s (prescription benefit managers) got into interfering with the prescription distribution system in  1970.

This is two prescriptions for Marilyn Monroe from 1962 with prices on them.. the average for those five BRAND NAME medications was $5.01 and four of them were LESS THAN $4.00

Generic was suppose to save everyone money…but… today we have abt a 85% generic utilization and the PBM’s control abt 90% of the prescription distribution market place in one way or another … and the average prescription price today is pushing $60.00.

If one applied the CPI (Consumer Price Index) or COLA ( Cost of Living Adjustment ) to those prices back in the pre-PBM days.. and disregarding that 85% of today’s prescriptions are generics.. would suggest that the average prescription prices would be in the mid-low $30 range…  The question has to be asked — who is getting the other $20-$30 when a prescription is filled ?  Those middlemen whose primary task was to save the system money ?

4 Responses

  1. Well I know we can get out on the streets and hold signs as to what we want . They are doing this now. So why can’t the people do the same for pain medication to be provided to those who have pain. It’s just not that important to us yet.

  2. It would be hard to take your temp the old way when they screw you there!!!

  3. Like I said a while back..I found a bill from 1968,,,,from my tonsils getten yanked,,,350 for the G.P…who also was my surgeon,,15 dollars for the anesthesiologist,,and 350,,for thee hospital stay,,,including E.R..and all the nurses,,,They only good thing that has changed since them is how they took your temp..lol,,maryw

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