The 2010 health-reform law does little to directly address prices. It includes provisions forcing hospitals to publish their prices, which would bring more transparency to this issue, and it gives lawmakers more tools and more information they could use to address prices at some future date.<\/p>\n
Two of the five most profitable industries in the United States \u2013 the pharmaceuticals industry and the medical device industry \u2013 sell health care. With margins of almost 20 percent, they beat out even the financial sector for sheer profitability.<\/p>\n
Many researchers are skeptical that this is an effective way to fund medical innovation. \u201cWe pay twice as much for brand-name drugs as most other industrialized countries,\u201d Anderson says. \u201cBut the drug companies spend only 12 percent of their revenues on innovation. So yes, some of that money goes to innovation, but only 12 percent of it.\u201d<\/p>\n