If you want to make yourself really useful...

Oh, onward into the really crazy ideas I come up with.

Health care costs.  Whoa.  Why is all that stuff so expensive?

The answer is that it's what the market will bear.  Nobody's coming out with a Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine at a quarter of the cost of those being sold today.

Nobody's allowed to produce life-saving generics at  much cheaper prices until a certain amount of time goes by and the patent expires.

So, using those two examples, companies (hospitals, etc.) that have MRI machines charge a lot for each use, because they want to be reimbursed for their expense.  And pharmaceutical companies getcha for every last dime they can, folks, while that patent is still working in their favor.

Now really, tell me why pharmaceutical companies are coming up with drugs like Viagra.  Really?  The need for Viagra is greater than the need for researching cancer?  No, of course not.  The profit to be made from drugs like Viagra is great.  And the pharmaceutical companies are willing to remind you that your body is aging and if you want to have a healthy sex life, you must do what this ad says:  Ask your doctor about Viagra.

Eh.  I have a better idea.  Find out if your problem is caused by atherosclerosis first.  Maybe consider changing your diet and exercising more, and see if you don't find yourself doing better.

But I digress.

Why do we let companies making profits lead us around by the nose?  Are there no more grants to be had?  Can nobody open up a not-for-profit pharmaceutical organization?  Are universities only interested in staring at their own navels?

Yeah, I know.  It's a crazy idea.  Why would anybody want to make an organization for the sole purpose of kicking the legs out from under the profit-earning giants?

Well, anybody besides me, and I don't have the ability to do these things.  All I can do is blog about my frustration.  But if you'd like to argue, inform, or enlighten, please do.  I would love to hear more ideas.

Meow.

-Spottedcat