Is The Opioid Crisis The Government's Responsibility?

[DJFaninTN]

The wife and I were having this discussion tonight. I really don't want this to be an R vs D thing or political at all. It's just a general question. A simple YES or No will suffice.

BTW ... if you don't know, Narcan cost $1,200 per dose from what I have read and tax payers are footing the bill.

 

[ARtraveler]

The wife and I were having this discussion tonight. I really don't want this to be an R vs D thing or political at all. It's just a general question. A simple YES or No will suffice.

BTW ... if you don't know, Narcan cost $1,200 per dose from what I have read and tax payers are footing the bill.

The cost per dose is also what I first said, and I was promptly corrected that it can be purchased from Amazon for about $25 per dose. I verified...and...yes.

I am guessing the $1,200 is the markup price after an experienced EMT gives it and it is then billed to "whoever" ends up paying for it. Here, an ambulance ride starts at $2,000 and then the "extras" begin.

There was a thread on the subject but I think it got deleted because the rhetoric got pretty nasty on both sides.

 

[DJFaninTN]

you were correct. that $1200 price is what opioid clinics bill to medicare.


damn you can get everything on Amazon I guess .. lol.

 

[UtahPete]

The wife and I were having this discussion tonight. I really don't want this to be an R vs D thing or political at all. It's just a general question. A simple YES or No will suffice. BTW ... if you don't know, Narcan cost $1,200 per dose from what I have read and taxpayers are footing the bill.

There you go - stirring up trouble again!

Yes, there was a thread on this, since deleted just when it was getting interesting. That was about a municipal government elected official who was suggesting a 'three strikes, we won't pay for it anymore' approach to limiting their government's cost (to the taxpayer) of repeatedly 'saving' drug addicts from their overdose. The $1200 or whatever was the fully loaded cost of an emergency response team delivering the dose, not the cost of the drug itself.

My vote at that time was to do as the city councilor suggested; limit the number of times the city would pay to have EMT's respond to the same person's overdose.

 

[Sarge707]

This has Nothing to do with Politics BUT- Do Not You feel the Health Care Industry Is getting JUST as GREEDY as Wall Street and Greed is what is ruining this country?nojoke

 

[UtahPete]

This has Nothing to do with Politics BUT- Do Not You feel the Health Care Industry Is getting JUST as GREEDY as Wall Street and Greed is what is ruining this country?

Unfettered capitalism will destroy this country one day. I agree.

 

[Chupaca]

How many times.....

How many times can they steal from the hard working stiff....The drug addict steals from the working man to get enough to overdose (maybe even someones life) then steals from the organizations the working man pays into for thier benefit now if he goes to jail for the first crimes we pay for that and even if he dies we pay for that. Well....that would be the end for that one...:banghead:

 

[UtahPete]

How many times can they steal from the hard working stiff....The drug addict steals from the working man to get enough to overdose (maybe even someones life) then steals from the organizations the working man pays into for thier benefit now if he goes to jail for the first crimes we pay for that and even if he dies we pay for that. Well....that would be the end for that one...

I agree completely. There should be a limit to what taxpayers (i.e. the responsible, productive part of society) pay to subsidize the chosen lifestyles and behavior of those who only take and never give back. I'm just not sure how to phrase that in such a way it can be made law. But, we should try.

 

[Rob Rodriguez]

This has Nothing to do with Politics BUT- Do Not You feel the Health Care Industry Is getting JUST as GREEDY as Wall Street and Greed is what is ruining this country?nojoke

I completely agree. The fastest way to lower the cost of health care is stop allowing employer sponsored health plans. If everyone (like those of us that are self employed) had to go buy insurance on their own and saw what the "true" costs was no one would buy it. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc would be forced to lower the costs because no one would be able to buy (or want to buy) their product at its current rates.

The current rates have nothing to do what things really costs and has everything to do with what they can get away with charging. Like the guy that walks into a store and says, "how much does this costs" and the store keep says, "how much you got".

With employer sponsored healthcare the insurance companies are able to charge big dollars for plans because they have a large pool of money to fund it plain and simple. When your employer stops paying half the costs and you see how much comes out of your check automatically that is never in your pay check so you don't miss it you wake up real fast to what's going one.

As my grandparents always said......cars and homes were affordable until everyone started "buying on time". They it didn't matter what they cost.....what mattered was if you could make the monthly payment. That's when the world went hell according to them. Older I get the more I agree.

It's just another way for a smaller group of people to control a larger group of people.

 

[Bob Denman]

Is it the Government's responsibility?

It's the responsibility of the person who is addicted.

 

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

I completely agree. The fastest way to lower the cost of health care is stop allowing employer sponsored health plans. If everyone (like those of us that are self employed) had to go buy insurance on their own and saw what the "true" costs was no one would buy it. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc would be forced to lower the costs because no one would be able to buy (or want to buy) their product at its current rates.

The current rates have nothing to do what things really costs and has everything to do with what they can get away with charging. Like the guy that walks into a store and says, "how much does this costs" and the store keep says, "how much you got".

With employer sponsored healthcare the insurance companies are able to charge big dollars for plans because they have a large pool of money to fund it plain and simple. When your employer stops paying half the costs and you see how much comes out of your check automatically that is never in your pay check so you don't miss it you wake up real fast to what's going one.

As my grandparents always said......cars and homes were affordable until everyone started "buying on time". They it didn't matter what they cost.....what mattered was if you could make the monthly payment. That's when the world went hell according to them. Older I get the more I agree.

It's just another way for a smaller group of people to control a larger group of people.

i have always said if employer sponsored health care had higher co pays then people would not run to the doctor when their nose
is stuffy or their kid sneezes.
back to the subject of the post, i don't believe that taxpayer dollars should pay for repeat stupidity or deliberate actions. if the
government keeps bailing out drug addicts how will they or others learn?

 

[JkRbbt]

It's like most "hot topics", sounds outrageous until it happens to you/your family.

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree:
And I've got addicts in my own family... :banghead:

 

[2dogs]

NO!

 

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

:agree:
And I've got addicts in my own family... :banghead:

don't get me wrong, i do understand but i don't believe others should have to pay for your mistakes, that is socialism and
sanders did not win so we don't have it in this country to that extent....yet

 

[UtahPete]

don't get me wrong, i do understand but i don't believe others should have to pay for your mistakes, that is socialism and
sanders did not win so we don't have it in this country to that extent....yet

Tell that to our government ... we are all paying for the consequences of their grievous errors every day.:sour:

 

[Bob Denman]

don't get me wrong, i do understand but i don't believe others should have to pay for your mistakes, that is socialism and
sanders did not win so we don't have it in this country to that extent....yet

Al... I agree with you! :clap: :2thumbs:
The addicts within my family are all currently in denial... at least it's saving us taxpayers a boatload of cash! :yes:
There's an old saying "Nobody finds God on Prom Night." When their lives take an unfortunate turn, and they understand that their current situation is leading to a disastrous ending: I'll be the first one to slap them across the face, and tell them to own their mistakes! nojoke

 

[wyliec]

The answer is NO to the original question. If you want to play, you pay.

 

[vided]

The answer is NO to the original question. If you want to play, you pay.

Well said

 

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

some may not agree with me but i don't believe in mandatory unemployment insurance being pulled from my pay check or social security. i have been employed my whole life since i was about 12. i have always in some way had a job whether it be a paper route, flea market or the business i have owned for over 35 years. when business was slow i never asked the landlord to lower my rent or the government to have me pay less taxes. i would love to have a 2017 aston martin but i can't afford it so i won't buy one.
if you can afford your drugs then so be it if you can't then stop, it's that simple but don't ask me to pay for your drug habit or rehabilitation.