Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 23, 1993 TAG: 9303230380
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
DON'T HAMPER DRUG-COMPANY RESEARCH
LIKE MOST Americans, I am concerned about our country's health-care system. I understand that many people do not have health-insurance coverage and therefore lack access to needed medical care. I know that President Clinton and some members of Congress want to provide universal health coverage. While the goal is laudable, I am worried that their proposals will only increase the costs of health care and reduce the quality of care we have come to expect.I have heard little from Clinton about how his plan would work, but I have heard him attack drug companies because of drug prices. I know from personal experience that drugs are expensive, but they are much less costly than a stay in the hospital. If the president believes he can solve our health-care problems by controlling drug prices, he needs to re-examine the problem. It seems to me that drug prices are just a drop in the bucket when compared to hospital and physician costs. Drugs also help to control other medical costs by keeping us out of hospitals and doctor's offices.
Drugs also improve the length and quality of our lives. The cures for diseases such as polio and tuberculosis have come from drug companies, but there are many other diseases, such as AIDS and cancer, that still afflict thousands of Americans. The only hope for discovering cures or treatments for these diseases are our drug companies. Restricting their profits, I believe, would restrict their ability to do research. JEAN EVANS DUBLIN