title: Drug expenditures in a balanced strategy for healthcare policy.
abstract: The US, like many countries, has turned its public focus onto its healthcare system, with drug prices drawing particular attention. 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 personally 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 to 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 healthcare as a basic human right, effective policies for the healthcare system--including the drug sector--must balance competing regulatory and market pressures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Administration, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bonk
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: McGhan
mesh_terms: D016527:Drug Costs; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000191:economics*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States