One of the number one complaints against Health Care in the United States is the expense for treatment and health care.  The second complaint is the cost of medicine.

While many of the various ideas and constructive criticisms are very valid and helpful, concerning managing the costs of both health care and medicine, the concept of comparing the cost as being a great deal less expensive in other countries requires some revue and understanding.

The Historical Reasons for the Cost

There are two factors that are overlooked:

1. The majority of medical procedures, innovations and improvements that were being developed, were being done in the United States.  The estimate today, in the year 2018, is still showing the United States as leading with the most innovations. 
2. The vast majority of medicines in the decades before the year 2000 were being developed in the United States.  The estimate today, in the year 2018, is the United States is developing more than half of the world's new medicines.

Cost Associated with Medicine

In any industry, there is Research and Development Costs (R&D).   In the Medical Industries which includes Pharmaceutical Industries, the development of new procedures and medicines, often involves:

• Many years of Research before Development
• Many years of Development
• Many years of Failed Results
• Many years of Clinical Trials
• Many years of Intense Deployment and Evaluation
• Many years of Legalities that include Lawsuits which are sometimes warranted but other times without validity with the sole purpose of theft.  (Jury Trials do not always end up in favor of the innocent when jurist can be swayed by emotions.)

According to many research companies in the United States, the cost of developing a new drug, now exceed $1.3 Billion Dollars with an average of 12 years from start to finish. 

Intellectual Property

The expense associated with Medicine, that was developed in the United States, should impart to the reader, that the cost and success of Medical Procedures, Medicine and Medical Devices was incurred by the United States' Industry.  Many other countries and their Medical Industries:

1. Are able to duplicate the knowledge on Medical Procedures that are being used in the United States, even when Procedures are Patented.
2. Are able to purchase medicine usually at a reduced cost that might be substantially less.  There are news stories of many countries purchasing previous versions of medicines and medical devices which can no longer be purchased in the United States.
3. Are able to reverse engineer medicines and medical devices.  After the reverse engineering, duplicate them and ignore Patents. 

As of 2018, there are many countries who ignore Patents and steal Intellectual Property (IP) with impunity.  The chief violators, who have decades of profit from stolen IP: are China and India, followed by Russia.  The list goes on with other countries but the scale is not as high as the listed three.  Note that at some point in the future, these three countries are going to fiercely protect their IP with legal measures and possibly even militarily. 

Disturbing Trend

The United States Government, through new laws, is creating more and more problems for the Medical Industry.  The cost of run-a-way legal verdicts that only favor the lawyers and politicians are one part of many that are forcing Medical Companies to move or consider moving out of the United States.  ObamaCare is an example of other another expense incurred by a Medical Company, which requires a 2.3% tax on revenues on Medical Devices ill-regardless of profit as it was based on sales where in many other industries R&D tax incentives are leveraged against taxes.  An example given in a Forbes Magazine, cited the tax on ZOLL Medical Corporation pushed their tax burden to over 50% which eliminates their ability to have a R&D.  If R&D is eliminated then the a Medical Company will eventually fail.

Many Countries are now enticing and luring away Research Companies and Researchers away from the United States with:

• Higher opportunities for profit for the Company
• Higher salaries for the Researchers
• Decreased regulations on development and approval of new procedures and medicines
• Faster Patent approval
• Higher investment from the government and individuals
• Lower taxation
• Protection against lawsuits

Consequences to the United States

When Medical Research and Development leave the United States, it has a large cost on the United States Economy.  One article from Forbes, suggests that the Medical Industry contributed $917 Billion Dollars to the United States economy in 2009 with employment of over four million jobs.

The United States cannot afford to lose its edge in the Medical Industry.  Many countries like Japan, have for decades supported many industries with tax breaks, subsidies, protection in legal areas and other incentives to keep the industries competitive and leaders in the world economy. 

The United States has done some notable work for many industries.  As an example was the rescue of the Automotive Industry during the Obama Presidency.  The United States needs to rethink its positions on the Medical Industry as well as many Industries.

As stated above, the United States is in a war that has been going for over 50 years.  It is an economic war where the winning nations will govern the standard of living for their civilians and those of other countries.  The United States is losing the war on almost every battle line of every industry because it is not a fair and level playing field.

__________________________

Some Sources of many:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracemarieturner/2012/05/23/though-the-u-s-is-healthcares-world-leader-its-innovative-culture-is-threatened/#3eef246f77eb

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-22/what-s-intellectual-property-and-does-china-steal-it-quicktake

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/opinion/china-us-intellectual-property-trump.html

What to read next?

(1) Communism and Socialism vs. Democracy with Additional Thoughts and Clarity on Fascism, (2) Historical Racism in the United States and its use in Politics, (3) Liberalism and the arguments used, (4) Racism Test, (5) Cops Kill by Race? (6) Illegal Immigration - USA and Mexico with those who cross into the USA illegally (7) USA in the Bible (9) Political Party Blind Allegiance (10) Political Party Control in the United States since the 1960s (11) Peaceful People are Irrelevant Point. (12) Conundrum of Socialism