NYT: "How Much Should Hepatitis C Treatment Cost?"

"A new pill to treat hepatitis C raises difficult questions about fair pricing, not only in the United States and other affluent nations but in developing countries around the world. Hepatitis C, which afflicts some 150 million people globally, often without symptoms for years, can cause fatigue and fever, cirrhosis or liver cancer."

The pill, known as Sovaldi, or generically as sofosbuvir, costs $84,000 for a standard 12-week course of treatment. That breaks down to $1,000 for each pill, taken daily. The manufacturer, California-based Gilead Sciences, says private insurers are already covering Sovaldi...

Gilead says the price is consistent with the cost of previous treatment regimens (a contention disputed by independent experts) and is reasonable given that the drug can have fewer side effects and cures a higher percentage of patients compared with other drugs...

However, a panel of experts at a recent forum in San Francisco concluded that the drug offered “low value” for treating most patients, in large part because of its high price. READ MORE

Now, where have I heard about a panel in relationship to healthcare? The name Sarah Palin pops into my head. That woman, Sarah Palin, didn't know what she was talking about, they all said.

"Mark Halperin: Obamacare Contains "Death Panels""

"It's built into the plan. It's not like a guess or like a judgment. That's going to be part of how costs are controlled," Halperin told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV."

(Audio at the link)

I thought there was no death panel. (video at the jump)

Choosing To Die - "Hope and Change"

I watched Megyn Kelly interview cancer patient Bill Elliot last night.  It brought me to tears. Here's the video.

His medical insurance has been cancelled and he can't afford the ObamaCare replacement policy.  He doesn't want to cause his wife and kids financial distress, so he's choosing to die. 

Economic death panel.