Reply #20: There is no free market in pharmaceuticals

[Celebration]

What a ridiculous argument. The consumer is often insured, and pays less than the market value for pharmaceuticals. Also pharmaceuticals are patented and therefore have monopoly prices built in--way more than herbs, etc. When pharmaceutical companies advertise, it is to a consumer that generally pays a lot less than the price of the drug.

The free market works way better in alternative medicine, where insurance and government spending is much less likely to interfere with the free market. It is not up to a naturopath to "weed out" anyone. That is a job of law enforcement. Of course when they get overzealous, there is a consumer backlash. And, in California, there is a law that anyone can use any kind of treatment modality they want as long as they do not represent themselves as being MDs. There were just too many mind/body techniques coming out there for licensing to keep up with them. That is what the taxpayer wanted there.

I also feel that drugs are too regulated. I would love for the free market to work better in that arena, but we are up against a lot of barriers, insurance, government programs, and the FDA, to name three. And the pharmaceutical companies like working in this environment, particularaly when the legislators are in their hip pocket and drugs cannot be imported from Canada.

OF COURSE PEOPLE CONSUME HEALTHCARE. WE ARE CONSUMERS OF HEALTH CARE. That is why we want the freedom to choose the type of health care we want. I sure don't want big brother in there limiting my choices. They can keep busy trying to prosecute fraud.