Just think if we had a socialized pharmaceutical system, the opioid epidemic might not have occurred.
For example, many health maintenance organizations have their own pharmacies to track patient prescriptions.
These systems not only know what is prescribed to every patient but also who is prescribing it.
It also allows pharmacists to monitor for potentially hazardous drug-drug combinations and help physicians with reporting of adverse effects of drugs.
Our present reporting system for adverse effects of drugs and vaccines is noted for delayed and gross underreporting.
Costs could also be monitored and controlled through a central pharmacy in the United States.
Diehard capitalists might argue this, but capitalism is not everything and certainly has no place in health care.
Cheryl Nash,
Port Angeles