Look Out For Another Health Care Price Hike

A free market results in lower costs and higher quality for consumers as businesses compete for their dollars.

We've not been vigilant in ensuring that a free market exists in the area of health care. Consumers want high-quality care at a fair price and it's taking a lot of work by policymakers and consumers to restore fiscal sanity to the health care marketplace.

That's why consumers need to be concerned over the proposed merger of Express Scripts and Medco into a combined company that will control over 30 percent of America's prescriptions.

Mergers are great when properly structured--they lower costs by creating efficiencies. Consolidation isn't achieving those goals in the health care arena.

In fact, patients stand to lose access to the personalized service by their neighborhood pharmacy. Express Scripts requires patients to fill their prescriptions by mail order (from a company owned by Express Scripts, natch!). Medco touts its "robot" pharmacists as a way of dispensing medications.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Obama Administration get to decide if the merger will be allowed. A group called "Preserve Community Pharmacy Access NOW!" is urging folks to call or write their legislators and the Federal Trade Commission. Here's more information from that group.