My dad recently asked me about the price of insulin. He said he had read something about how expensive insulin is and was concerned about it. I don’t talk about diabetes with my family very often. They ask an occasional question, I answer, and we move on. Diabetes is never our focus.
But dad’s question got me thinking. I’m incredibly fortunate to have good insurance coverage, while many others do not. Today I was reading an article about the price of insulin and how it has gone up hundreds of percent over the last several years.
How is this possibly ok? Another example of lack of cohesion in health care. My proposed solution: get key players from health insurance, pharma, healthcare, consumers/patients, and government together at one table. Let them talk it out until they figure out the best way to manage costs in health care. They can use lifelines – call or video conference someone into the room who may know more or have a better perspective.
I picture it kind of like choosing the next pope. Maybe smoke is coming out of the chimney. Maybe these people don’t emerge for weeks (food can be delivered…), but they get it done. They consider the best interest of everyone involved, act with transparency, cooperation and good faith, and figure it out.
I believe it could happen.
That’s all.