title: Health care reform and the pharmaceutical industry.
abstract: Consumer choice among competing private plans should be strengthened, rather than lending support to the mandate for a government single-payer plan. A major theme running through this position paper is that drugs are not only the most cost-effective form of medical treatment, but they represent only a small share of the national health care expenditures. In this article, the author focuses on defending three guiding principles for reform: (1) all Americans should have prescription-drug coverage; (2) competition can and must be relied on to control costs; and (3) the discovery of new cures must be actively encouraged through adequate incentives for the pharmaceutical industry.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Mossinghoff
mesh_terms: D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D016527:Drug Costs; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004465:Economic Competition; D005252:Fees, Pharmaceutical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005102:Health Expenditures; D007356:Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012109:Research Support as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013660:Taxes; D014481:United States