Biggerboat1 said:
-CraZed- said:
You'll notice I didn't limit my statement to USAID, I also addressed trade and security and the UN that by far the US pays the lion's share. And, yes I know Sweden isn't officially part of NATO. But Sweden has benefited from the relatively stable and secure Europe that NATO provides. As a US citizen I shouldn't worry about what or who my government chooses to support through my tax dollars? Of course I should. And also as an American citizen I like to to do for myself first so as to not burden others, then I look for worthy opportunities to be charitable and giving in my spare time with my spare resources. I don't rely on bureaucrats thousands of miles away from me to help those in need I involve myself directly.
Even at 0.15%, it is still the single largest amount of foreign aid paid out through our tax dollars. But you want us to step up our game yeah? How about this or this? Would that work for ya? The US regularly leads the world in private sector and charitable giving. Or perhaps the CAF report might be of interest to you. The US over the last 5 years has been no. 2 just behind Myanmar as the most charitable country where as Sweden doesn't even rank. In fact last year Sweden was no. 34 and the US no. 5. Love you Sweden, with your neutrality and Ikea (I've had my original Hemnes bed frame for years) but the US really is one of, if not the most, generous nations on the planet, even ahead of our friends from Sverige.
So you honestly think that drug companies despite being "highest grossing," that they don't need to or would want to make up the difference anywhere they can? Why then, does the pharma industry often oppose legislation to allow US citizens to purchase medications from outside the country? Because it would hurt their bottom line. I get why they wouldn't want it to happen, it isn't cheap to develop a new drug so the downward pressure on pricing has to be made up elsewhere. That elsewhere is the US market.
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I think you're mixing up Sweden with Switzerland in regards to the your neutrality reference...
Also, the idea that selling drugs to counties outside the US not being profitable doesn't make any sense, otherwise why would they be selling them there?
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No I don't think I am, Swedish neutrality.
And no one said there wasn't
any profit it is that it affects profit margins and thus the US with it's relatively open markets drug companies can charge more here to bolster those margins. Quote form SA
article: :
..."In Europe, meanwhile, the impact of austerity on health budgets since the financial crisis has led industry executives to complain of single-digit percentage annual price declines."
Industry executives complaining that their prices, meaning what they are allowed to charge due to pricing controls, dropped by a mere single digit percentage. You don't think they are jumping at the chance to gouge US customers if they are complaining about that?
