I’ve switched most of my time-wasting from Substack to Quora, because (1) Quora is subject based, not forceful. Quora feeds you more of what you like and less of what you don’t like. Substack refuses to set up subject areas and insists on hammering you with the same damn shit no matter how often you block it. (2) Aside from the algorithm, most of the writing on Quora is stories of real experience, not abstract quibbling over meaningless theories.
Fine example of the latter. The trolls constantly ask questions attempting to defend the American death system. Especially since last week, the Shot Heard Round The World, the first time in history one of the mass murderers was HELD ACCOUNTABLE. These questions continue, probably because the trolls have figured out that people with experience in LIFE-GIVING MEDICAL SYSTEMS, ie everyone except Americans, enjoy instantly answering the questions with REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE in a LIFE-GIVING MEDICAL SYSTEM. Reliable engagement pays the questioner.
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Q: Why are nations with Universal Free healthcare such as the UK willing to buy medicine that cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars without blinking while US health insurence companies balk at the cost?
How can these nations afford it?
A: I worked for 30 years in sales in the UK pharma industry. At one point I was involved with a psoriasis cream called Dovonex. Great product.
The NHS paid us £20 per tube which was a fair price. It gave us a reasonable profit and it was affordable for the NHS and helped thousands of patients. This price was negotiated under the Prescription Pricing Scheme. Of course most patients got it free or only £9 if they paid at all. All drugs licensed in the UK were priced under this scheme, designed to allow manufacturers a fair return on their investment.
In the US Dovonex was priced at $740 per tube!
This was down to various middlemen and pharmacy licence holders, insurance companies, doctors etc all wanting their cut. Plus a lack of a bulk negotiation scheme.
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Real experience from an insider who worked in pharma. He knew the real cost and price and profit. He knew that his company was making a good profit on the low price. This is HOW REAL BUSINESS WORKS when it’s not corrupted and destroyed by Wall Street Men Of Monopoly. Profit creates reasonable prices** and reasonable wages, making both sides happy enough and in this case making both sides HEALTHY. Share Value creates universal death and destruction. Wall Street bombs the country down to bedrock if given a chance. Since 1980 the Wall Street bombers have been unopposed. No artillery or radar allowed.
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** Footnote for clarity. In some cases a reasonable price is high. When the product is custom-made or low quantity, and has high REAL VALUE to the buyer, a high price balances things out. With low quantity there’s no way to spread out overhead and design/testing costs across many units, and high REAL VALUE is balanced by a high payment. An experimental life-saving drug, or a Monet painting, would fit this category. The drug in the example is mass-produced, and psoriasis is annoying but not deadly. So there’s good amortization of design and testing, and the user doesn’t want to pay a high price. When profit is allowed to exert feedback, both sides of every ledger will balance neatly.
Polistra's Mill 