patrick.net

curious2 says

No, America has the lowest prices in the world for OTC drugs. I even provided links for you, and reminded you in this very thread, but you keep forgetting. If you can find a link showing anyplace where OTC drugs are cheaper than they are here, post it. Otherwise, give it up already.

Your link goes to a contact page, nothing else. Always did, I told you that before. Guess your memory isn't as good as you would like think.

http://farmaciadelnino.com/eng/index/item/455/27/aspirin-aspirin-500mg-40tab
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/bayer-extra-strength-aspirin-500-mg-coated-caplets/ID=prod6212688-product
http://www.amazon.com/Bayer-Advanced-Aspirin-Strength-Tablets/dp/B004Z5GYVU

Bayer 500 mg aspirin. Simplest med there is.
farmcia 40 pack 2.55 USD 6.3cents per pill. walgreens 100 pack 9.79. 9.7cents per pill. amazon.com 80 pack 18.12. 22 cents per pill. Note that bayer no longer sells 500's in anything but coated in the US. Might make a very very small price difference.

http://farmaciadelnino.com/eng/index/item/425/27/alka-seltzer-12tab
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/alka-seltzer-original-antacid-%26-pain-relief-medicine-effervescent-tablets/ID=prod351429-product

Here's an oldy but goody plain old alka seltzer. breakfast of champion (drinkers that is) everywhere plop plop fizz fizz. Exact same product both places. My math says cheaper in Mexico. It seems odd to see Farmacia online. I've bought things in a Farmacia Del Niño store, I think in Nuevo Larado, it's a chain like walgreens,

I know for damn sure I paid less for OTC when I lived in Costa RIca, although I have to concede that was a 10 years ago. I paid less for many things. I paid a more (sometimes a lot more) for some things, mostly imported manufactured goods. Levi jeans were just off the scale at something like 5 times walmart prices.

Funny things like this sometimes happen to prices when duties, taxes, and subsidies get involved. Makes it very tough (like pretty much impossible) to do an accurate country to country evaluation. Which is why relative pricing is usually a better way to look at things, although far far from perfect. PPP is supposed to do a better job in theory, but I find it's pretty far off in places, like sometimes way over weighting local goods. Especially in economies with high degrees of barter. All of which makes your stone axe simplistic price comparisons useless. As are my examples above other than in the most crude form of metric.

Still no answer to my original question? Pitiable.

bob2356 says

Still no answer to my original question?

I did answer your original question, though you tossed in a bunch of extra rhetorical questions. As for the contact information, if you don't believe U.S. News & World Report, that's between you and them, I'm not going to fight them on your behalf when their report is consistent with my own observations.

I do appreciate the links. I see yet another difference between us though; you look for brand name items, I read active ingredients. I provided a link showing the cost of aspirin (a generic term in the US since the end of WWI), you replied with brand name Bayer. But, I'll give you credit where it's due, indeed your link showed a cheaper price for Bayer brand aspirin. Walgreens brand contains the same active ingredient, and even adjusting for dosage it costs less than half as much as your link. Likewise the Walgreens equivalent of your Alka Seltzer Original:

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-effervescent-pain-relief-tablets/ID=prod2775-product

BTW, if you're taking maximum strength aspirin, plus Alka Seltzer Original (which also contains aspirin), that's a lot of aspirin. With GI symptoms requiring Alka Seltzer, you might want to "ask your doctor" about ways to reduce your aspirin intake. Aspirin can cause bleeding ulcers, which can be fatal. Most people are happy with the usual 325mg tablets, two of which add up to 650mg, the maximum typical dose; two Bayer Maximum plus 2 Alka Seltzer Original would be nearly triple that.

I don't know why you keep bringing up extraneous products like jeans and gasoline, the subject was OTC drug prices. Your brand name drugs do provide a counterpoint, though people who shop for value buy the generic not the celebrity endorsement. Maybe your point was, if you're buying a jingle or celebrity endorsement that happens to contain some aspirin, it can be found for less in places where celebrity endorsements don't pay as well. I was referring to actual OTC drugs, not keeping up with the Kardashians and their latest branded ventures. Anyway, thank you for the links.

curious2 says

As for the contact information, if you don't believe U.S. News & World Report, that's between you and them, I'm not going to fight them on your behalf when their report is consistent with my own observations.

What report is there to believe? Your link doesn't go to a report of any kind, never did. What don't you understand about this?

Where did you answer the question? It's not there. Do you advocate government control of purchase, pricing, and availability of prescription drugs in order to lower prices. It's a not hard question to grasp. Except the question points up one of the glaring contradictions in your logic so I can see why you want to avoid actually answering it.

curious2 says

I do appreciate the links. I see yet another difference between us though; you look for brand name items, I read active ingredients. I provided a link showing the cost of aspirin (a generic term in the US since the end of WWI), you replied with brand name Bayer.

Finding a generic prices for overseas items through the internet just isn't possible. The overseas stores don't put up generic prices that I could find. You should know that. Plus it's more consistent to compare name brands. You made the blanket statement that the US has the cheapest otc prices. Period, no qualifiers. I wasn't aware that all those shelves after shelves of name brand medications in walgreens and walmart weren't "actual" otc drugs. Trying to weasel the argument one more time are we?

curious2 says

I don't know why you keep bringing up extraneous products like jeans and gasoline, the subject was OTC drug prices

My point, made at length, was that direct comparisons of raw prices between countries is pretty meaningless. Either you are being deliberetly dense on the subject or just don't have any understanding at all of the basic fundamentals involved in any kind of international commerce.

I have a friend who hates the Affordable Care Act - she thinks it's intrusive. She was describing her sister, who is sick and has no income and no health insurance. She's under 65 years old so she doesn't qualify for Medicaid or financial assistance due to her children not being in the home. It's a sad situation - and the woman has severe health problems.

So, my buddy was describing how awful it is that her sister is in this situation and the horrible pain and symptoms - but when I said that will all change she went on a rant and complained about moochers & Obamacare. I asked why she doesn't help her sister and she said that it's not her responsibility. When I reminded her that her healthcare is subsidized by her employer but her oldest daughter has Medicare & Medicaid... well, another rant.

And that, folks, is why we need the Affordable Care Act.

elliemae says

And that, folks, is why we need the Affordable Care Act.

So that everybody pays their fair share.

It doesn't sound like her sister can afford the premiums, copays, or deductibles. I sure as hell can't, and I WAS loaded.

Andy and Amy Mangione of Louisville, Ky.