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Drug Expenditures in a Balanced Strategy for Healthcare Policy

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Summary

The US, like many countries, has turned its public focus onto its healthcare system, with drug prices drawing particular atention. Expenditure trends indicate that drugs do not represent a large portion of the overall healthcare picture; the typical US consumer, however, feels these costs more personall y because large portions of outpatient drugs in the US are purchased with out-of-pocket funds. Using data trends for US expenditures, we contrasted projections in the year 2000 under the current US system relative 10 a strategic policy with full coverage of prescription drugs. Under this proposed scenario, drugs still captured just a small portion of overall healthcare expenditures, but with major shifting to private insurance and government programmes. Thus, as society increasingly views some level of healthcarc as a basic human right, effective policies for the healthcare system-including the drug sector-must balance competing regulalOry and market pressures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Administration, Philadel phia College of Pharmacy and Science, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Robert J. Bonk, Maven J. Myers & William F. McGhan

  2. ZENECA Pharmaceuticals, 1800 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Delaware, 1989, USA

    Robert J. Bonk

Authors
  1. Robert J. Bonk
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  2. Maven J. Myers
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  3. William F. McGhan
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Bonk, R.J., Myers, M.J. & McGhan, W.F. Drug Expenditures in a Balanced Strategy for Healthcare Policy. Pharmacoeconomics 7, 534–542 (1995). https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-199507060-00007

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00019053-199507060-00007

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