You raise a very important issue. Currently I know only one person over 65 who is not taking prescription medication on a continuing basis. Fifty years ago, I did not know anyone over 65 who was taking prescription medication at all. I am in my 80's now and was in my 30's then. Things have certainly changed and not all for the better.

I hope this is only the first move in changing the profit incentive from keeping people sick to keeping them healthy. Normally we give rewards for results we want and withhold rewards for results we don't want. In the medical field, the incentive is the opposite. There is more money to be made by keeping a patient sick than in curing them. We need to look at our third party payment systems (medical insurance) as well as how medical care is delivered.

I have no idea how things will work out in the long run, but I do know there are greater obstacles than the cost of drugs. Just as an example, think what would happen if a cure for cancer was announced. How many billion dollar institutions would be out of business including hospitals, medical schools, equipment suppliers, etc. They will fight to survive.