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Rick Santorum Tells Sick Kid Market Should Should Set Drug Prices

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WOODLAND PARK, Colo. - GOP contender Rick Santorum had a heated exchange with a mother and her sick young son Wednesday, arguing that drug companies were entitled to charge whatever the market demanded for life-saving therapies.

Santorum, himself the father of a child with a rare genetic disorder, compared buying drugs to buying an iPad, and said demand would determine the cost of medical therapies. 

"People have no problem paying $900 for an iPad," Santorum said, "but paying $900 for a  drug they have a problem with - it keeps you alive. Why? Because you've been conditioned to think health care is something you can get without having to pay for it."

The mother said the boy was on the drug Abilify, used to treat schizophrenia, and that, on paper, its costs would exceed $1 million each year.

Santorum said drugs take years to develop and cost millions of dollars to produce, and manufacturers need to turn a profit or they would stop developing new drugs.

"You have that drug, and maybe you're alive today because people have a profit motive to make that drug," Santorum said. "There are many people sick today who, 10 years from now, are going to be alive because of some drug invented in the next 10 years. If we say: 'You drug companies are greedy and bad, you can't make a return on your money,' then we will freeze innovation."

Santorum told a large Tea Party crowd here that he sympathized with the boy's case, but he also believed in the marketplace.

"He's alive today because drug companies provide care," Santorum said. "And if they didn't think they could make money providing that drug, that drug wouldn't be here. I sympathize with these compassionate cases. … I want your son to stay alive on much-needed drugs. Fact is, we need companies to have incentives to make drugs. If they don't have incentives, they won't make those drugs. We either believe in markets or we don't."

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  • Zalmesana  •  Tampa, Florida  •  2 months ago
    I wish they would take the health insurance away from these candidates (all of them) and let them go to the private market to purchase a policy. They would quickly find out that the preexisting conditions they and their children have would not pass underwriting and they would either be denied a policy or certain family members would be excluded. The cost of Santorum insuring a family of his size with a child who is that ill might bankrupt him. I wish we could published the cost of caring for his family per year with and without insurance and also with his current goverment sponsored plan versus one purchased on the open market. I want them all to admit both sides that this is a broken medical system. We can do better...but I guess I am just dreaming....
  • YahYah  •  New York, New York  •  3 months ago
    Out of the mouth of a man that gets free healthcare for his child who is sick with a rare disorder. I'd like Santorum (who always looks to be on the verge of tears while he speaks), to walk a mile in the shoes of a parent with a sick child and yet have no way to pay for that innocent child's healthcare costs.
    • CAxB 3 months ago
      I don't like Santorum and I don't like what he said, but I have to tell you, he doesn't get free healthcare. I just looked it up yesterday, and they do pay a portion of their healthcare, just like most of us.
    • Ted 3 months ago
      Senators and Congressman's healthcare is free, free, free.
    • Jamie 3 months ago
      They get free healthcare. And even if he didn't, he's many times a millionaire. Apparently this supposedly religious man believes only those who can afford astronomically expensive medicine deserve to live.

      I really don't believe in the whole "meet-up with St. Peter at the Pearly Gates" scenario, but I'd love to see Santorum explain himself to the gatekeeper. Pretty sure he'd be booted south before he'd managed to finish his first sentence.
  • rob h  •  St James, New York  •  3 months ago
    First of all an ipad doesn't cost 900 dollars, plus people don't buy an ipad every month like people do for drugs. We are the only country in the entire world that advertises drugs, we as americans consumer more prescription drugs then any other country by a landslide. The Republipigs make it so obvious every day that they only care about the corporations, big pharma, banks, and the 1 percent. You would be nothing without the middle and working class of this country yet you screw us every chance you get.
    • squeeze_the_wheeze 3 months ago
      "We are the only country in the entire world that advertises drugs"
      I don't disagree with your post Rob, but that statement is not true. I live in Europe and drugs are advertised on TV constantly. In Germany and Austria, you can only buy aspirin at a pharmacy! The drug companies have a global monopoly and their main concern is profit, NOT compassion for the sick.
    • donny 3 months ago
      "The mother said the boy was on the drug Abilify, used to treat schizophrenia, and that, on paper, its costs would exceed $1 million each year" - hmm that comes out to 130 - 30mg. tablets a day???
    • Leeny 3 months ago
      Well, it's either pay for the drugs if they are not covered by insurance or pay a lot more in taxes to support socialized medicine. Pick your poison (no pun intended).
  • Troy Williams the third  •  Seymour, Indiana  •  3 months ago
    Look up history folks the republican party hates medicare and social security. Always have always will they voted against it over and over again. If they had their way the market would dictate everything .The same market that crashed if seniors were tied to the market as they wished our parents and grandparents would be homeless and without medical services. They the republicans have convinced the working man that taxing the rich their fair share is evil and all unions are the cause of all our woes. The cause of our woes are the global American companies that no longer care about our country. They report too the few the shareholders to them the country isn't a priority.They don't care if products say made in America as long as the shareholders are taken care of. It used to be our own American companies felt a sense of duty to us Americans but no more.So if the republicans had their way instead of two panhandlers at a busy street corner there would be lines are far as you could see. Don't forget history people remember the song I sold my soul to the company store. The republicans wish those days were back google it
    • Lorraine 3 months ago
      16 Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford...my dad loved that song.
    • Union Soldier 3 months ago
      Good comment, thank you.
    • semper fi 3 months ago
      sir, you are so correct. It gets me everytime I see a elderly person vote republican. The republicans are against everything the elderly have; against social security (wants to reduce it, privatize it, increase the retirement age); medicare (want to create a private insurance progam with vouchers that will increase what you pay out of pocket) and medicaid (40% of medicaid is spent on long-term and nursing home cost). In this last recession the facts show that one of the groups not effect as much as most was the over 65 because there was a social safety net for them. Republicans would luv to go back to the time before FDR and when we have a downturn, the elderly can suffer more than the rest of the country.
  • mark  •  Irvine, California  •  3 months ago
    That's why health care should be non-profit, Mr. Santorum. If you can't see the differnence between discretionary spending(i-pads) and necessities(health care, and yes, gasoline), get away from public service.
    • Indy 3 months ago
      If health care was "non-profit", then drug companies would have no incentive to invest and research and spend to find drugs to cure exotic diseases. (Are you for real?)
    • Valume 3 months ago
      @Indy Healthcare has to be about the love of helping and taking care of other people and not about profit other wise it fails to achieve its goal, helping eliminate disease. Curing disease and helping people trumps profit!
    • E 3 months ago
      Non-profit health care is not illegal. Start a health care non-profit! Someone, please do this.
  • A Yahoo! User  •  3 months ago
    I'm all for a free market, but Rick Santorum is an idiot. If somebody on their deathbed needs $900 medicine I can guarantee they aren't spending the money on an ipad instead. The people gladly spending $900 on an ipad aren't dying.
    • Melanie Petrandis 3 months ago
      amen
    • Don 3 months ago
      An ipad is a one time purchase. As long as you are sick you have to keep paying over and over for drugs. You are correct Rick Santorum is an idiot who has government paid health care.
    • Ikey 3 months ago
      I dunno. You would be surprised how easy it is to play Angry Birds while on your deathbed.
  • Jennifer  •  Atlanta, Georgia  •  3 months ago
    Of course , it is only a child's health at stake . We will never sacrifice corporate profits on the altar
    of insignificant poor people who have no value to our party .
  • A Yahoo! User  •  Santa Clara, California  •  3 months ago
    What an idiot. Drugs are not Ipads or cars. They are medicine you dimwit. They already rip us off. They claim they need the high prices to pay for research when in fact much of the research is paid for or done by the government. They already gough us so their execs can get big pay and bonuses.
  • Andy  •  3 months ago
    This absolutely infuriates me. What Santorum leaves out of this picture is that the government provides those same pharmaceutical companies with the seed money to develop new drugs, physical and legal infrastructure, university and other scientific research backing, safety standards and testing assistance, and, for some drugs, a market. At the scale of markets we're talking about here, the government is inextricably linked with big pharma. Big pharma couldn't do it without the government.
  • GenX84  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 months ago
    I guess people have forgotten that the Republicans blocked Medicare from making bulk purchases to reduce costs and the reimportation of drugs from other countries.
  • NA  •  3 months ago
    This guy will never be President, he's dreaming for real!
  • Greg  •  3 months ago
    The nation does NOT need people like Santorum. Good riddance. His poll numbers show that he is now a non-issue. The idiot compares buying an optional ipad to a drug used to fight a life threatening illness? What an IDIOT.
  • Lisa-from-Sedona  •  Happy Jack, Arizona  •  3 months ago
    I really think the government, that takes our tax dollars for bombs, campaigns, bridges to nowhere, etc. should fund research. Americans are really losing their love and compassion. Do you all really think that Paris Hilton deserves a life saving drug more then YOU do because she is a rich tart? Does that seem fair? This is why I will NEVER - EVER vote Republican. This is wrong and sickening.
  • Cynical Sally  •  3 months ago
    Matthew 25:41-45
    'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least among you, you did not do for me.' JESUS ...........Does that sound like “conservatism” to you? LOL
  • AmonPetah  •  3 months ago
    If Santorum cannot see the difference between an iPad and a life saving drug, he must not attribute much value to saving a 'human life'. Because that's the difference!
  • GARY  •  3 months ago
    If you are looking for compassion from the GOP don't hold your breath.
  • Reality Check  •  3 months ago
    Yes, they need to make a profit, even a good profit but, do they really need to make enough profit to pay lobbyists and to make election donations?
    You're a rich guy Rick and can afford to not let your child die. We are the ones who stupidly allowed you to become that rich.
  • A.L. Lupiz-Frolick  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 months ago
    And the U.S has the most expensive drugs in the world because the government can't buy drugs in bulk to make them cheaper.
  • dg69  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 months ago
    Santorum is treating these people like they are fools. All reasonable, clear thinking Americans KNOW that the Pharmaceutical companies are raking in gigantic profits, and that they are in collusion with the government to keep all laws & regulations favorable to their bottom line. It's big business - they have deep pockets, lobbyists, power. To equate health care to buying an iPad is downright despicable. And did these people say anything about getting health care for free, because they've been "conditioned" to believe they are entitled to it? All they want is a FAIR deal, a reasonable price, maybe a little, tiny bit of HOPE. This #$%$ is so out of touch (just like the rest of his capitol hill cronies), he actually thinks that they will believe such #$%$ Sadly, he's partially right - too many people in this country follow their leaders blindly with out questioning things and thinking for themselves. If we don't get the people "in charge" in this country to start looking out for the needs of their CONSTITUENTS, instead of their own needs and their entitled friends and partners, this country will be DONE like dinner in only a few more decades. The cracks have already appeared, the foundation is buckling, yet the greed, apathy, and ignorance are stronger than ever. We are in SO MUCH TROUBLE in this country it's not even funny.
  • Tony  •  Las Vegas, Nevada  •  3 months ago
    What would Jesus do huh? What a good Christian way to look at things, I swear...