re: Healthcare industry bitching about lost revenue thanks to glp-1s

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Now do heart disease. At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theory loon, I don't believe for a second there's not a drug that can dissolve arterial plaque. But it would destroy a multibillion industry overnight.

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It would also make whatever company created it a trillion dollars overnight. GLP1s completely reshaped the economy of Denmark it was so successful. So why would a company keep a heart disease cure under wraps?

It’s not a “system” it’s a bunch of independent companies competing for profits.

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Then where are these doctors, surgeons, and other Healthcare professionals that are willing to donate their time to providing Healthcare services and extensive complex care?

Some of you are too stupid Im shocked you dont forget the breathe.

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I'm not so sure people are confusing a for profit industry run amuck with slavery. The unfortunate reality is there are needless complexities involved today from an insurance and administrative perspective for the sake of profit. Think about the income and profit generated by UHC without providing a single ounce of healthcare themselves. They generated $450 BILLION dollars in revenue(only 70% of which was actually passed on to health care providers...not to confuse my previous statement) and $12.1 BILLION in profit. You don't think that's a problem?

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I'll take it a step further. Medicare and Medicaid should play for GLP-1s

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Medicare covers it now for like $50 a month.

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I know the cost is higher on the front end because we're now paying for millions of people to start GLP-1s, but wouldn't the health benefits mean we're paying less for their complications further down the line? If you're paying for them to take shots but it means you aren't paying for repeated hospitalizations and medication due to poor health, that's an overall win.

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Yep you are correct. It’s a little bit difficult to do that kind of medical economic analysis because you dont know if hospitalizations and er visits are going down because of the drug or something else but it is definitely reducing costs in other places

It will be a clear substantial cost benefit once we move all GLP1s to generic instead of brand.

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I work with Medicare and Medicaid premiums primarily so we the taxpayer are paying for them

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And it’s likely saving us money by paying the GLP cost upfront but in a year or two reducing the cost of their blood pressure meds, their cholesterol meds, their cancer meds, more frequent ER/doc visits when obese, and all kinds of medical procedures that are tied to being obese.

No matter how much we reduce obesity health care costs will only go up

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No matter how much we reduce obesity health care costs will only go up

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Correct. We can only do things to reduce the expense trend but it will never be negative. Covid was one of the only times there was negative trend

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I work with Medicare and Medicaid premiums primarily so we the taxpayer are paying for them

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For sure, just like we are every other medical/pharmaceutical advancement for which the benefits outweigh the cost/risk.

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Think about the income and profit generated by UHC without providing a single ounce of healthcare themselves. They generated $450 BILLION dollars in revenue(only 70% of which was actually passed on to health care providers...not to confuse my previous statement) and $12.1 BILLION in profit. You don't think that's a problem?

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If people and companies think they are paying too much for a good or service they can not pay it or get that good or service elsewhere. That's the beauty of capitalism and why it is great for innovation, competition, and the consumer. Of course, the govt picking winners and meddling does the opposite of all those things.

I do love the tact often taken here with throwing out a big profit number and suggesting it's cruel and unusual. If companies should not be allowed to make a profit, who should get to decide what is reasonable? You? Government?

You simply do not have a RIGHT to a treatment, service, pharmaceutical product, etc, just like you don't have a right to anything else that requires someone else's time, effort, money, or innovation. Otherwise, let's all gang up on Apple and their $112 BILLION in profit last year.

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There will never be a cure for cancer

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Moderna's stock skyrocketed this week because their phase 3 trials of one pretty much does that in melanoma