b'Associate Member News This issue extends beyond one drug or one company. Heres an updated list of the most outrageously priced drugs currently bleeding the healthcare system dry:Drug / Therapy Condition Treated Cost (Per Dose)By David Leo,President ofLenmeldy Rare Neurological Disorder $4,250,000 WMI MutualInsurance CompanyHemgenix Hemophilia B $3,500,000 & WMI TPA Skysona Childhood Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD) $3,000,000(rewrittenUpstaza Pediatric AADC Deficiency $3,700,000 by ChatGPT)Zynteglo Beta-Thalassemia $2,800,000Roctavian Hemophilia A $2,900,000Zolgensma Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) $2,100,000Luxturna Inherited Retinal Disease (IRD) $850,000The consequences of these prices are felt by everyone. Skyrocketing drug costs dont just affect the patients who need themthey drive up insurance premiums for all of us. The reality is simple: Claims + Overhead + Profit = Premium. When pharmaceutical costs balloon, insurance companies must pass those costs on to policyholders, and when premiums become unaffordable, people lose coverage and the system crumbles.Ive written before about how insurance dollars are spent. The majority81.7%goes directly to healthcare costs, 15.3% covers administrativeexpenses, and only 3% is left for profit (in a good year). If drug pricescontinue to soar, insurance companies will either have to raise premiumsor face insolvency. Theres no middle ground.Pharmaceutical innovation should save lives, not bankrupt families and cripple the healthcare system. Yet drug manufacturers continue to exploit the system,If you have questionsraking in billions at the expense of ordinary Americans. In my personal opin- about Medicare and ion, this is nothing short of unethical, immoral and predatory. I would call onMedigap policies or Congress to act, but we all know that meaningful reform wont happen until thewould like a free copy of system collapses under the weight of its own greed. the federal governments Medicare handbook, please visit our website at wmimedigap.com or contact our office at (801) 263-8000 .Authors note: This article is based on an article I wrote two years ago for theWPMA News magazine. I ran my article through ChatGPT and asked it to updateand rewrite it. This is what ChatGPT produced.SWPMA News / Spring 202563'