KSL In-Depth: A Costly Cure

Part 1: Utah diabetics band together in underground network

“Being the recipient of so much generosity made me want to help others and help alleviate their stress, because I know how stressful it is.”

Part 2: How the FDA helps jack up the price you pay at the pharmacy counter

More than 75% of new drug patents for new drugs aren’t new. They are old patents that the FDA allows drug makers to take over. Once they get that monopoly, that’s when economists say the lower-cost generics disappear and the price we pay at the pharmacy goes up. 

Part 3: Plenty of blame to go around on high drug prices

“The scariest part about being a diabetic is walking into the pharmacy and [thinking] how much is this going to cost me this time?”

Part 4: Don’t go into debt for your drugs: Price cuts available for prescriptions

“How do you go from $4,000 to $10 bucks a month?”

This isn’t a rhetorical question, rather a personal statement of disbelief. All over Utah, everyday people are paying thru the nose for prescription medication they need just to stay alive, but asking a few questions could save you thousands of dollars.

Part 5: Soaring drug prices spark legislative debate and action by Utah non-profit

The Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Intermountain Healthcare had spent a majority of the decade consumed by the minutiae of patient care. During that time, he realized that health care providers were operating in an imperfect system, but perhaps more troubling was the corporate and personal greed that was prohibiting any kind of solution.