From the "Imagine That" Department

Forbes of all perodicals, comes out and states the obvious:

America's seniors would have better access to medicines if U.S. drug prices were slashed to the level paid in other industrialized nations, a new analysis suggests.

A 45 percent price cut would let Congress eliminate a gap in coverage that will occur when Medicare's outpatient prescription drug benefit takes effect in 2006, the authors conclude. Lower prices, they add, would make it possible to enhance drug coverage for seniors at no additional cost to the federal government.

Of course, they go on to justify high costs as a means of encouraging "innovation," then they pick out a straw man--in this case, "America's litigious environment," to ensure that the interests of those who actually read Forbes receive the kind of attention they've come to expect.

Still, it's mildly encouraging to see reports like this, as admitting that US drug costs are outrageous compared to the rest of the industrial world SHOULD be a matter of public discussion--along with a thorough, reasoned analysis of the tort system. If torts were truly understood, perhaps the public wouldn't be clamoring for "reform."