CEO Who Jacked Up Cost Of EpiPens Hospitalized By Bee Stings
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch was hospitalized earlier today after being attacked by a swarm of bees.
Bresch was walking through a park during her lunch hour when the bee attack occurred. A large crowd of people formed to watch as she tried to run from the swarm.
“She must have gotten stung like 100 times, mostly on her face,” said one shocked onlooker, who asked to remain anonymous. “Her face was puffed up all huge, she kinda looked like a muppet.”
Bresch, who is apparently allergic to bee stings, immediately suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction. However, none of the bystanders had an EpiPen on hand to inject Bresch with relief.
“Didn’t she raise the price to 600 bucks? Nobody got money for that,” said one Robert Selvidge, a bystander on the scene. “She kept pointing at her bag for some reason, who knows why? Was there something in there she needed? Maybe she had an Epipen in there. Whatever. If you ask me she got what she deserves.”
In previous years, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch raised the price of the life saving EpiPen by over 400% to $600. She also gave herself a pay increase of 600%. She is due to be paid $18.9 million in 2016.
Bresch is currently listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital. Shares of Mylan were up more than 7 percent in trading Friday as news of Bresch’s troubles spread.
A Call For Mylan CEO Heather Bresch To Reduce EpiPen Price And Resign
Under CEO Heather Bresch, Mylan has increased the price of life-saving EpiPens by more than 460 percent since 2007, while Bresch’s own salary jumped more than 670%, to $18.9M, during the same period.
There needs to be a balance. Without the potential of making a big profit, I bet we wouldn't have half the drugs we do. But who really needs a $19m salary? From my experience health insurance was just as bad. My employer switched health coverage. My wife takes medication which is about 3 grand a prescription without insurance. So no way we can afford it if insurance doesn't approve. The new insurance threw us so many loop holes before they would cover it, she ended up going without it for 3 months. Aside from the prescription, they required a doctor authorization (isn't that what a prescription is?). They gave us a number to provide to our doctor to call. We would call our insurance regularly to make sure it went through and all they would say is "it can take 2 weeks to process, so its not in the computer yet." After the 2 weeks it changed to "no we don't have anything from your doctor. We gave you the wrong number last time, give him this number." Another 2-3 weeks went by and same thing, but this time they said to fax it instead. Same thing, another 2-3 weeks went by before giving us a third and different number. A few days later I called in to check on the status when I got the normal "it can take 2-3 weeks to process, so its not in our computer yet." I unloaded on them on the phone, explaining how we kept getting the runaround and my wife and gone without her medication for 3 months now as a result, medication needed to control otherwise very debilitating arthritis, and ended the conversation with "if it isn't here tomorrow, you will be hearing from an attorney on my behalf." After than comment I was put on hold for about 30 seconds and she came back and said "it's on the way." Ridiculous it had to come down to a threat. Our doctor said unfortunately they get that all the time, they drag their feet so they don't have to pay for expensive medication. How do those people sleep too?
Insurance companies regularly abuse the prior authorization system, but in general, it is a very important step/requirement for consumers
I don't see the difference between prior authorization and a prescription. Isn't that essentially what a prescription is? How is it an important step, especially if it is regularly abused?
A prescription does not mean your insurance covers the product, a plan with prior authorization means the doctor needs to submit and verify with insurance that it will be covered prior to the prescription being granted. The goal of it is to ensure that doctors only prescribe drugs that are covered by a patient's insurance to minimizes costs
The abuse happens in what you saw with the insurance companies dragging the process out.
That said, it is better for the consumer to only be prescribed drugs that are approved by insurance prior to going to the pharmacist.
Then why does pre authorizations need to be done 2 or 3 times a year as the case with my wife's ambient?
That whole process is a fucking joke.
will myself to find a home, a home within myself we will find a way, we will find our place
There needs to be a balance. Without the potential of making a big profit, I bet we wouldn't have half the drugs we do. But who really needs a $19m salary? From my experience health insurance was just as bad. My employer switched health coverage. My wife takes medication which is about 3 grand a prescription without insurance. So no way we can afford it if insurance doesn't approve. The new insurance threw us so many loop holes before they would cover it, she ended up going without it for 3 months. Aside from the prescription, they required a doctor authorization (isn't that what a prescription is?). They gave us a number to provide to our doctor to call. We would call our insurance regularly to make sure it went through and all they would say is "it can take 2 weeks to process, so its not in the computer yet." After the 2 weeks it changed to "no we don't have anything from your doctor. We gave you the wrong number last time, give him this number." Another 2-3 weeks went by and same thing, but this time they said to fax it instead. Same thing, another 2-3 weeks went by before giving us a third and different number. A few days later I called in to check on the status when I got the normal "it can take 2-3 weeks to process, so its not in our computer yet." I unloaded on them on the phone, explaining how we kept getting the runaround and my wife and gone without her medication for 3 months now as a result, medication needed to control otherwise very debilitating arthritis, and ended the conversation with "if it isn't here tomorrow, you will be hearing from an attorney on my behalf." After than comment I was put on hold for about 30 seconds and she came back and said "it's on the way." Ridiculous it had to come down to a threat. Our doctor said unfortunately they get that all the time, they drag their feet so they don't have to pay for expensive medication. How do those people sleep too?
Insurance companies regularly abuse the prior authorization system, but in general, it is a very important step/requirement for consumers
I don't see the difference between prior authorization and a prescription. Isn't that essentially what a prescription is? How is it an important step, especially if it is regularly abused?
A prescription does not mean your insurance covers the product, a plan with prior authorization means the doctor needs to submit and verify with insurance that it will be covered prior to the prescription being granted. The goal of it is to ensure that doctors only prescribe drugs that are covered by a patient's insurance to minimizes costs
The abuse happens in what you saw with the insurance companies dragging the process out.
That said, it is better for the consumer to only be prescribed drugs that are approved by insurance prior to going to the pharmacist.
Then why does pre authorizations need to be done 2 or 3 times a year as the case with my wife's ambient?
That whole process is a fucking joke.
I assume because the insurance company requires it to make it as much of a hassle as possible. That is obviously a problem.
There needs to be a balance. Without the potential of making a big profit, I bet we wouldn't have half the drugs we do. But who really needs a $19m salary? From my experience health insurance was just as bad. My employer switched health coverage. My wife takes medication which is about 3 grand a prescription without insurance. So no way we can afford it if insurance doesn't approve. The new insurance threw us so many loop holes before they would cover it, she ended up going without it for 3 months. Aside from the prescription, they required a doctor authorization (isn't that what a prescription is?). They gave us a number to provide to our doctor to call. We would call our insurance regularly to make sure it went through and all they would say is "it can take 2 weeks to process, so its not in the computer yet." After the 2 weeks it changed to "no we don't have anything from your doctor. We gave you the wrong number last time, give him this number." Another 2-3 weeks went by and same thing, but this time they said to fax it instead. Same thing, another 2-3 weeks went by before giving us a third and different number. A few days later I called in to check on the status when I got the normal "it can take 2-3 weeks to process, so its not in our computer yet." I unloaded on them on the phone, explaining how we kept getting the runaround and my wife and gone without her medication for 3 months now as a result, medication needed to control otherwise very debilitating arthritis, and ended the conversation with "if it isn't here tomorrow, you will be hearing from an attorney on my behalf." After than comment I was put on hold for about 30 seconds and she came back and said "it's on the way." Ridiculous it had to come down to a threat. Our doctor said unfortunately they get that all the time, they drag their feet so they don't have to pay for expensive medication. How do those people sleep too?
Insurance companies regularly abuse the prior authorization system, but in general, it is a very important step/requirement for consumers
I don't see the difference between prior authorization and a prescription. Isn't that essentially what a prescription is? How is it an important step, especially if it is regularly abused?
A prescription does not mean your insurance covers the product, a plan with prior authorization means the doctor needs to submit and verify with insurance that it will be covered prior to the prescription being granted. The goal of it is to ensure that doctors only prescribe drugs that are covered by a patient's insurance to minimizes costs
The abuse happens in what you saw with the insurance companies dragging the process out.
That said, it is better for the consumer to only be prescribed drugs that are approved by insurance prior to going to the pharmacist.
That process makes sense and would be helpful. But for that to be the case wouldn't the doctor be the one needing authorization from insurance so he knows what to prescribe, not the other way around?
But it was our insurance who required it, and they already knew the medication was covered since its their own business that covers it and is listed in my medications covered. They said they would not cover it until they got confirmation from the doctor himself. And when asked, they said it was so the doctor could verify that we needed the medication (and that is what the prescription is for). Seems to me to be 100% designed to delay the delivery of medication, and nothing else.
CEO lobbies government to create law to mandate all schools buy EpiPen.
Obama signs it into law.
CEO raises prices once government creates artificial market.
CEO gives self raise to $19M.
CEO is daughter to Democrat Senator Joe Manchin.
CEO donated $100K- $250k to Clinton Foundation.
Nothing to see here, move along.
Except that everyone's watching. And this is just the beginning.
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 40,722
People who are in the medical field, be it doctor, nurse, health librarian, pharmacy employee, etc. who do it because the care about others are some of our finest. People who do it simply to get rich off others misery or illness are some of the most evil.
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man [or woman] who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
...Bresch, who started as a data entry clerk at Mylan, was named chief operating officer in 2007. As STAT News noted Wednesday, at the time she was promoted to that position, Mylan pointed out that she had a Master of Business Administration from West Virginia University, which she claimed to have received in 1998. In fact, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper investigation in 2007 said school records indicated that Bresch had obtained just 26 academic credits out of the 48 credits required for an MBA. The paper found that WVU awarded Bresch her degree retroactively in 2007, after initially telling the newspaper that she never received her degree, and after Bresch insisted she had. Manchin was the state's governor at the time. The school, which had received more than $20 million in donations from Mylan's founder, claimed that Bresch had "completed all the requirements" for an MBA, except for paying a $50 graduation fee. However, an investigation panel set up at WVU — whose then-president was Bresch's high school classmate and former Mylan lobbyist Mike Garrison — found that "Ms. Bresch did not earn an MBA at West Virginia University." "The Panel finds further that the actions undertaken by WVU administrators in October of 2007 to determine whether Ms. Bresch had earned an MBA degree in 1998 and to thereafter modify her transcript were seriously flawed and reflected poor judgment," the panel said in its final report. "The Panel finds the rush to judgment in Ms. Bresch's case was driven primarily and inappropriately by concerns about public relations and by Ms. Bresch's high profile." The university's senate overwhelmingly voted to compel Garrison to resign as WVU's president on the heels of the report. In response, he announced his resignation in June 2008, effective that September. A county grand jury later decided not to indict Garrison or anyone else in the MBA scandal. That scandal has drawn renewed attention in recent days as controversy swirled over Mylan's EpiPen pricing practices. Last year, Bresch told Fortune magazine, "I certainly to this day believe I did everything I needed to do to get my degree."
Not sure what context you say that in. "Public shaming" has a particular feel to it.... are you glad she and the company are being called out, or are you suggesting this shouldn't have happened?
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Not sure what context you say that in. "Public shaming" has a particular feel to it.... are you glad she and the company are being called out, or are you suggesting this shouldn't have happened?
Not sure what context you say that in. "Public shaming" has a particular feel to it.... are you glad she and the company are being called out, or are you suggesting this shouldn't have happened?
Let's all hear what you think.
... are you not going to answer my question? It was an honest one.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Just today I found out that there is also an auto injector for naloxone, also known as Narcan. Naloxone is used to reverse opiate overdose and is a lifesaving medication. The kits with a vial of naloxone and a syringe continue to be cheap, but they require people to be trained how to use them, and in an emergency it can be very difficult for someone to remember how to use the syringe, draw up the medication, inject it correctly, etc. So now there is an auto injector of naloxone which could be used by anyone, without any training, to save the life of someone with an overdose of heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and the like.
What's the cost, you ask?
$3,700 per two dose kit. For a commonly available, inexpensive drug.
How can they possibly justify this?
my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
Just today I found out that there is also an auto injector for naloxone, also known as Narcan. Naloxone is used to reverse opiate overdose and is a lifesaving medication. The kits with a vial of naloxone and a syringe continue to be cheap, but they require people to be trained how to use them, and in an emergency it can be very difficult for someone to remember how to use the syringe, draw up the medication, inject it correctly, etc. So now there is an auto injector of naloxone which could be used by anyone, without any training, to save the life of someone with an overdose of heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and the like.
What's the cost, you ask?
$3,700 per two dose kit. For a commonly available, inexpensive drug.
How can they possibly justify this?
Holy shit.
Something simple to use that can save a life right then and there? At that cost?
Just today I found out that there is also an auto injector for naloxone, also known as Narcan. Naloxone is used to reverse opiate overdose and is a lifesaving medication. The kits with a vial of naloxone and a syringe continue to be cheap, but they require people to be trained how to use them, and in an emergency it can be very difficult for someone to remember how to use the syringe, draw up the medication, inject it correctly, etc. So now there is an auto injector of naloxone which could be used by anyone, without any training, to save the life of someone with an overdose of heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and the like.
What's the cost, you ask?
$3,700 per two dose kit. For a commonly available, inexpensive drug.
How can they possibly justify this?
Holy shit.
Something simple to use that can save a life right then and there? At that cost?
Unjustifiable.
It is unjustifiable. Earlier this year Seattle bicycle cops started carrying Narcan, and I believe at least 10 lives have been saved by SPD since this went into effect, reversing the affect of opiod overdose. I wonder if this crazy pricing scheme was set up to take advantage of municipalities and public agencies that are starting or running similar programs.
"I'll use the magic word - let's just shut the fuck up, please." EV, 04/13/08
Yeah, I won't immediately say that's outrageous because I don't know what kind of technology goes into these auto injectors, or who is actually responsible for making it cost so much. I know that it is fucking amazing that the Naloxone kits are being handed out for FREE to hundreds of sites in metro Vancouver, and I've heard of a ton of training/info sessions where the public can go and get a kit for free too.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Become a junkie and OD, lifr saving kits are available free, develope an allergy that might someday require the use of a epipen victim of greed, price gauging and big pharma, sounds par for the course...
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Become a junkie and OD, lifr saving kits are available free, develope an allergy that might someday require the use of a epipen victim of greed, price gauging and big pharma, sounds par for the course...
That's a gov't issue. Someone is paying for the narcan
Become a junkie and OD, lifr saving kits are available free, develope an allergy that might someday require the use of a epipen victim of greed, price gauging and big pharma, sounds par for the course...
That's a gov't issue. Someone is paying for the narcan
I know someone's paying for it, just saying that's typical of today...
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Become a junkie and OD, lifr saving kits are available free, develope an allergy that might someday require the use of a epipen victim of greed, price gauging and big pharma, sounds par for the course...
That's a gov't issue. Someone is paying for the narcan
I know someone's paying for it, just saying that's typical of today.
Maybe, but I think you're forgetting a pretty important distinction that affects how things get funded: the fentanyl thing is an acute public health crisis. It's being handled more like an epidemic, really. The issue of Epipens, while also important, really isn't even in the same ballpark.
Post edited by PJ_Soul on
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Comments
That's good
A Call For Mylan CEO Heather Bresch To Reduce EpiPen Price And Resign
Under CEO Heather Bresch, Mylan has increased the price of life-saving EpiPens by more than 460 percent since 2007, while Bresch’s own salary jumped more than 670%, to $18.9M, during the same period.
That whole process is a fucking joke.
we will find a way, we will find our place
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/epipen-maker-responds-to-price-hike-criticism/
Obama signs it into law.
CEO raises prices once government creates artificial market.
CEO gives self raise to $19M.
CEO is daughter to Democrat Senator Joe Manchin.
CEO donated $100K- $250k to Clinton Foundation.
Nothing to see here, move along.
But it was our insurance who required it, and they already knew the medication was covered since its their own business that covers it and is listed in my medications covered. They said they would not cover it until they got confirmation from the doctor himself. And when asked, they said it was so the doctor could verify that we needed the medication (and that is what the prescription is for). Seems to me to be 100% designed to delay the delivery of medication, and nothing else.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/24/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-ceo-behind-the-big-epipen-price-hikes.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/business/mylan-to-offer-a-generic-epipen-at-half-the-price.html
"Today's announcement is just one more convoluted mechanism to avoid plain talk [and] admit to price gouging," Public Citizen said.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/08/29/just-cut-price-consumer-groups-unimpressed-epipen-generic
Hacker group creates $30 DIY Epipen to expose corporate greed and save lives
Mylan CEO Bresch Grilled On Capitol Hill Over EpiPen Debacle
https://www.google.com/amp/www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2016/09/21/mylan-ceo-bresch-grilled-on-capitol-hill-over-epipen-debacle/amp/?client=safari
What's the cost, you ask?
$3,700 per two dose kit. For a commonly available, inexpensive drug.
How can they possibly justify this?
www.headstonesband.com
Something simple to use that can save a life right then and there? At that cost?
Unjustifiable.
How about those fucking scumbag republicans who want to block narcan use because it promotes drug use?
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon