Prescription Costs

        The amount Americans spend on prescription drugs has nearly doubled since the 1990s, meaning the United States spends the most of any high-income nation. Americans didn't always spend the most. In the 1980s, several countries spent about the same amount per capita as the U.S. The U.S. healthcare spending grew faster in the 1990s. According to the Common Fund (2017), this was partially because several expensive specialty drugs came to market .The drug companies set the price in the United States, unlike in Europe, which has price controls. Americans often pay substantially more for the same drug than people in other countries do. Recently, lawmakers have questioned the pricing structure of pharmaceuticals, especially when EpiPen reached a price of $300 per dose and top executives in the drug companies were given bonuses. Then CVS, a large pharmacy, announced they were going to purchase AETNA, a large insurer. Headlines such as these have caused the public to question the transparency of the pharmaceutical Industry. Report on the factors that contribute to the growth in medications Include the following aspects in the discussion: Find a scholarly article on the costs of medications Explore whether pharmaceuticals should be regulated Discuss the impact of medication costs for the uninsured Consider actions that could be taken to reduce medication costs