Future of health care

Do you or anyone you know think that the cost of putting hundreds of thousands of people’s lives at risk is worth $18 million?

I think that it’s repulsively unethical to make money by forcing someone to pay top dollar for medication just to keep them alive. There should be a line drawn somewhere. I believe that the government and big medical supply companies without a doubt have a bit more than a mutual respect for each other. I can sit and type for days about how there’s more than just a conspiracy about how much the government allows drug companies to make top dollar for keeping American citizens alive; I would rather just point out that there needs to be a limit if it’s going to happen.

I would love nothing more than to use the whole EpiPen scandal as a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Mylan has been and continues to charge unheard-of amounts, over 1,000 percent more than what it costs to make EpiPens, to those who are in desperate need of the medication. Imagine not being able to buy a lifesaving drug for your child just because a company has a monopoly on it and the CEO wants a salary of $18 million a year. The “friendliness” of the FDA helps to make this a reality as well. Any and all alternatives from competitors have been on backlog for years due to restrictions from the FDA.

These prices are ridiculous and something needs to be done. It all starts locally, and here I am to reinform you and everyone else that this is still a very real and evident problem that nearly every American citizen either faces or will face in their lifetime. This isn’t just about one drug; this is about you and your family’s medication and all health-care services that come with them. It’s time to start seeing human lives as priceless again. STEVEN GARRETT

Conway