We really need to think about four pillars for retirement. ... The first pillar is Social Security. The second is individual pensions or savings. The third is health insurance, very important. And the fourth, surprisingly, is the continued ability to earn, because many people are going to need to find some way of bringing in earnings after they pass normal retirement age, and we think that that should be more and more emphasized in terms of getting ready for that possibility. |
We're going to link arms and go to the states and say, `Put this into law, |
We're putting a spotlight on what manufacturers are charging, which is by far the most significant part of the price equation. |
What happened … was the debate got polarized very early and the opportunity to find the middle ground was missed. |
What we are seeing is a steady series of price increases for drugs. Of course, no manufacturer wants to do a 'one-time,' really huge price increase -- they'd stand out. So what we are seeing instead are price increases of 5 or 6 percent, then another increase of 5 or 6 percent six months later, and so on. |
What we find is that these price increases are pretty much across the board -- it doesn't seem to make much difference what category of drug is involved or what manufacturer. Obviously, those people that are chronically ill, and particularly those who suffer from more than one chronic illness, they are getting hit pretty hard. |