James P. Greenwood said "We have to remember that it is not a zero sum game, that when we add a pharmaceutical benefit, it does not simply and only add to the costs of Medicare. Because in many ways, using a pharmaceutical product, using a medicine, is the least expensive way to treat an illness as compared to surgery. I have a chart here on my left that demonstrates an instance of that. This is the cost of treating stroke patients. If we use a treatment that consists of a pharmaceutical approach, which uses a clot-busting drug, it costs about $1,700 to treat that patient on an annual basis. Yet, by doing that, we are keeping that patient from having to go through the pain and the expense of rehab and often nursing care. So the difference here is that we save $6,100 that otherwise Medicare would have been paying for." @ PoliticalQuotes.com

On the recordFebruary 16, 2000

We have to remember that it is not a zero sum game, that when we add a pharmaceutical benefit, it does not simply and only add to the costs of Medicare. Because in many ways, using a pharmaceutical product, using a medicine, is the least expensive way to treat an illness as compared to surgery. I have a chart here on my left that demonstrates an instance of that. This is the cost of treating stroke patients. If we use a treatment that consists of a pharmaceutical approach, which uses a clot-busting drug, it costs about $1,700 to treat that patient on an annual basis. Yet, by doing that, we are keeping that patient from having to go through the pain and the expense of rehab and often nursing care. So the difference here is that we save $6,100 that otherwise Medicare would have been paying for.

Said by

James P. Greenwood

Pennsylvania

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the cost-effectiveness of pharmaceutical benefits in Medicare.

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