Healthcare Policy Review: US Healthcare Drug Price and Policy Analysis

This report provides a review of healthcare policy in the United States, specifically focusing on the high cost of prescription drugs. The analysis centers on a news article discussing the exorbitant price of Humira and compares it to costs in other countries. It highlights the lack of price regulation in the US pharmaceutical industry, leading to high drug prices and potential ethical concerns regarding access to essential medications. The report explores ethical issues, such as the impact on patient access and the role of community health nurses as advocates for patients' rights. The author emphasizes the need for policy changes to control drug prices and ensure patient access to affordable medications, referencing relevant studies and articles to support the arguments. The report concludes by reiterating the importance of the nurse's role in advocating for policy changes related to prescription drug costs.

HEALTHCARE POLICY REVIEW 1
A NEWS ARTICLE REVIEW ON ISSUES IN THE
HEALTHCARE POLICY
Name:
Institutional affiliation:

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INTRODUCTION
Prescription drugs are sold in the United States over the counter and bring in revenue for
the pharmaceutical industry. The news article in my review is prescription drugs prices and its
burden on the American citizen(Sarah,2018). The Vox, May 10th 2018 published a news article
regarding the cost of Humira a prescription drug by the generic name Adalimumab used to treat
arthritis, psoriasis and ulcerative colitis. The cost of Humira in the United States is $2669 which
extremely expensive compared to other countries. The United States lacks an agency to review
and control the prices of drugs which makes it easy for pharmaceutical companies to sell low
benefits drugs at a very expensive price.
The United States doesn’t regulate the prices of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry as
this will lead to reduced profits hence minimal research in the particular field. It will also cause a
low number of investors who are willing to engage in drug trials. However, in other countries
such as Australia and Britain, there is tight and strict regulation regarding drug prices by
considering their efficacy and side effects. These countries also ensure that the drug is available
to the citizens regardless of the income. In the United States, some drugs with minimal efficacy
are sold at high prices and they are covered by Medicare insurance as long as they have been
approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
ETHICAL CONCERNS
According to Trooskin, Reynolds and Kostman(2015) hepatitis C drugs are too expensive
in the United States and insurance companies are reluctant to pay for the drugs. This raises
ethical concerns about the people who are unable to raise high amounts of money. It is the right
of every human being to access drugs to improve their health. Limiting the access of essential
drugs in a bid to retain investors for research is unethical. Kesselheim, Avorn and

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Sarpatwari(2016) state that the high costs of prescription drugs in America is due to the
monopoly of the Food Drug and Administration board.
Another ethical concern is the availability of expensive drugs with low efficacy and many
side effects. There has been a concern about the availability of drugs whose efficacy is reduced
and this has resulted in spending too much money on medications that are not effective yet they
are in the market. The need for a regulating agency is imminent to control the prices of drugs
while at the same time rejecting drugs that lack efficacy.
COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE AS A CHANGE AGENT
The community health nurse has a role in championing for the rights of the patients
against exorbitant costs of drugs and insurance companies. The nurse should reach out to
relevant authorities such as America Nursing Association and raise her concerns on the high
costs of the prescription drugs.Choi(2015) states that the nurse is the advocate of the patient,
therefore, having networks to access with subsidized prices for prescription drugs for those who
can’t afford.
CONCLUSION
Prescription drugs in the United States of America are expensive limiting their access to
the majority of the patients hence undermining the right to health. It is important for the nurse to
act in terms of policy making to change these tough terms regarding prescription drugs.

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REFERENCES
Choi, P. P. (2015). Patient advocacy: the role of the nurse. Nursing Standard (2014+), 29(41),
52.
Kesselheim, A. S., Avorn, J., & Sarpatwari, A. (2016). The high cost of prescription drugs in the
United States: origins and prospects for reform. Jama, 316(8), 858-871.
Sarah K.,(2018, May 10).The true story of America’s sky-high prescription drug prices.The Vox.
Retrieved from
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/11/30/12945756/prescription-drug-prices-
explained.
Trooskin, S. B., Reynolds, H., & Kostman, J. R. (2015). Access to costly new hepatitis C drugs:
medicine, money, and advocacy. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 61(12), 1825-1830.