《经济学人》双语：美国胰岛素降价，但并未惠及所有患者

2023-06-04 06:38:10来源：哔哩哔哩

原文标题：Drug pricingProblem solved？Insulin is cheaper, but some struggle to get it at a price they can afford药品定价问题解决了？胰岛素更便宜了，但有些人却买不起The push to bring insulin prices down in AmericaBut not all patients are able to use the available schemes美国推动胰岛素降价但并非所有患者都能用到这个方案

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[Paragraph 1]

“MOVE TO THE back if you’ve lost your life savings to the drug companies,” shouts a woman walking by your correspondent.

“如果你把毕生积蓄都给了药厂，请到后面排队，"一位从本报记者身边走过的女士喊道。

A spirited group follows her to the end of a long queue for a Senate hearing on insulin prices on May 10th.

在5月10日参议院关于胰岛素价格的听证会上，一群人兴致勃勃地跟在她身后，排起了长队。

In the room David Ricks of Eli Lilly, a large American drug firm, testifies that insulin, used to regulate blood-sugar levels for diabetics, is cheap and even free in some instances.

在房间里，美国大型药企“礼来公司”的大卫.里克斯证实说，胰岛素（用于调节糖尿病患者血糖水平）很便宜，在某些情况下甚至免费。"

“If you contact Lilly today, we will ship you a month’s supply at no cost with one question: ‘What’s your address?’” he says.

他说："如果你今天联系我们礼来公司，我们将免费寄你一个月的药量，只需提供地址即可。

Those dressed in gear with slogans like “Insulin for All” shake their heads in disbelief.

那些穿着印有 "人人都买得起胰岛素 "口号服装的人不相信地摇摇头。

Drug companies may be offering cheap insulin, but it is not reaching all patients.药物公司可能会提供廉价的胰岛素，但它并未惠及所有患者。

[Paragraph 2]

The high price of drugs is a long-running grievancefor Americans—and insulin is a flashpoint, since more than 8m of them depend on it to survive.

美国人对药品贵积怨已久--胰岛素是一个导火索，因为有800多万人靠它生存。

A standard unit that costs on average $9 in other rich countries sets Americans back $99.

一个标准单位在其他富裕国家平均花费 9 美元，而美国人要花费 99 美元。

A study in 2021 in the Annalsof Internal Medicine, a journal, found that 1.3m people skipped or reduced insulin doses due to cost.2021年《内科学年鉴》杂志的一项研究发现，有130万人因为费用问题而放弃或减少了胰岛素剂量。

[Paragraph 3]

According to GoodRx, a company that helps customers find low drug prices, the average cash price of insulin rose by 54% between 2014 and 2019.

根据帮助客户寻找低价药品的GoodRx公司的数据，2014年至2019年间，胰岛素的平均现货价格上涨了54%。

The price then dropped by 11% between January 2020 and May 2023. Despite the recent dip, insulin prices remain high.

随后在2020年1月至2023年5月间，价格下跌了11%。尽管最近有所下探，但胰岛素价格仍居高不下。

[Paragraph 4]For older patients, the cost is now coming down. 对于老年患者来说，费用正在下降。The Inflation Reduction Act, one of President Biden’s landmark laws, allows Medicare to negotiate with manufacturers for lower drug prices. 《减少通货膨胀法案》是拜登总统具有里程碑意义的法律之一，它允许医疗保险与药企谈判以降低药品价格。It also requires companies to pay back Medicare if prices rise faster than inflation, and it capped insulin prices at $35 a month for Medicare.如果价格上涨快于通货膨胀，法案还要求公司将这部分费用退还给医疗保险，而且胰岛素医保价格上限为每月35美元。[Paragraph 5]The new law seems to have nudged drug companies into offering lower prices for everyone. 新的法律似乎已经推动药企为所有患者提供更低的价格。On March 1st Eli Lilly announced an automatic $35-a-month cap on all insulins for those with private insurance at select pharmacies, and a similar programme for the uninsured. 3月1日，礼来公司宣布，对于那些有商业保险的人来说，在特定药店购买的所有胰岛素每月自动封顶35美元，未投保的人也可参与类似的计划。The firm also promised to sell one of its non-branded insulins for $25 a vial, from May 1st. 该公司还承诺从5月1日起以每瓶25美元的价格出售一款非品牌胰岛素。Sanofi, a French drug company, followed suit with a similar deal for one of its insulins, starting next year. Novo Nordisk, a Danish firm, likewise announced lower prices for 2024. 法国药企“赛诺菲”紧随其后，从明年开始对一款胰岛素进行类似的定价。丹麦的“诺和诺德公司”也同样宣布从2024年开始降价。[Paragraph 6]These deals are eye-catching, but when patients turn up at pharmacies, they may find they cannot grab a bargain. 这些定价很吸引眼球，但是当患者去药店买药时，他们可能会发现根本无法买到便宜药。Shaina Kasper of T1International, an advocacygroup for diabetes patients, is a type-1 diabetic. 糖尿病患者权益组织“T1国际”的沙伊娜·卡斯珀是一名1型糖尿病患者。She says she tried to buy Eli Lilly’s non-branded Insulin Lispro, the specific drug available from May 1st for $25. Her pharmacy in Vermont quoted her $90.她说她想购买礼来公司的非品牌Insulin Lispro，这种特定的药物从5月1日开始以25美元的价格出售。但是佛蒙特州的药店向她报价90美元。[Paragraph 7]Perhaps Eli Lilly’s programme needs time to work out the kinks, or the pharmacy charged more on top. But this is not the first time such a scheme has caused problems. 也许礼来公司的计划需要时间来解决这些问题，或许是药店收费更高。但这并不是此类方案第一次引发问题。For years pharma firms have offered a patchworkof plans to help customers afford insulin and other drugs. Some are for almost anyone, others for the poor or uninsured.多年来，药企提供了一系列的计划，来使客户能够买得起胰岛素和其他药物。有些计划几乎面向所有人，其他计划则适用于穷人或没有保险的人。But they tend to be difficult for people to access, says Stacie Dusetzina, a drug-pricing expert at Vanderbilt University. 范德比尔特大学的药物定价专家斯泰西·杜塞齐娜说，但人们往往难以真正受益。[Paragraph 8]First patients must be aware that the scheme exists and that they are eligible, which is often unclear. Then they must jump through hoops. 首先，患者必须知道该计划的存在，且知晓参与资格（这一点往往并不明确）。然后他们必须跨过重重障碍。Some need applications, doctor’s notes, proof of residence, tax documents and more. 有些人需要申请单、医生证明、居住证明、税务文件等等。Pharmacies must also know about the programme and participate in it. 药店也必须了解该计划并参与其中。It can be hard to know whom to blame—the drug companies for the faulty deals or the pharmacies for failing to implement them properly.很难判定是谁的错--是药企的错误定价，还是药店未能正确执行。[Paragraph 9]These programmes can also end at any time.这些计划也可以随时结束。“What the Lord giveth, the Lord can taketh away,” says David Mitchell of Patients For Affordable Drugs, an advocacy organisation for patients. 患者权益组织Patients For Affordable Drugs的大卫.米切尔说："上帝赐予的东西，上帝也可以收回"。That is why Mr Mitchell and others are pushing for laws to lower drug prices rather than relying on a mishmashof special schemes.这就是为什么米切尔和其他人采取行动的原因，他们正在推动立法来降低药品价格，而不是依赖一系列的特殊计划。[Paragraph 10]Some states have given up on waiting. Colorado was the first to pass a cap on insulin, at $100 a month, in 2019. 一些州已经放弃了等待。科罗拉多州于2019年率先规定了胰岛素为每月 100 美元的上限价格。Since then nearly half of states have introduced caps, but these cover only state-regulated health plans. 从那时起，近一半的州规定了价格上限，但这些仅涵盖州监管的健康计划。In March Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, announced that he had signed a contract with a manufacturer to make and distribute insulin to Californians for $30. Maine, Michigan and Washington may follow. 3月，加州州长加文.纽森宣布，他已经与一家药企签署了合同，以30美元的胰岛素价格生产并分售给加州人。缅因州、密歇根州和华盛顿州可能会紧随其后。There are also bills in Congress to tackle insulin prices and increase access to generics. 国会也有解决胰岛素价格和增加仿制药供应的法案。Perhaps insulin’s cost will eventually come down further and become more predictable. 最终，胰岛素的成本也许会一降再降，且变得更加可预测。（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量814左右）原文出自：2023年5月27日《The Economist》United States版块

精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路

本文翻译整理: Irene本文编辑校对: Irene仅供个人英语学习交流使用。

【补充资料】（来自于网络）礼来公司是一家全球性制药公司，成立于1876年，总部位于美国印第安纳州的印第安纳波利斯市。公司致力于研发和销售创新药物，主要领域包括糖尿病、癌症、神经学、心血管和免疫学。伊利莎公司在全球拥有数百个研究和制造设施，产品在全球超过125个国家销售。公司在全球约有38,000名员工，是全球制药行业的领先企业之一。美国医疗保险计划Medicare是面向65岁及以上的老年人和符合一定条件的残障人士。制药公司向Medicare提供的药物需要符合规定，并且价格需要合理，如果药品价格过高，Medicare可能会要求制药公司退还部分费用。这是为了保护 Medicare 的财务稳定性和合理使用纳税人的资金。【重点句子】（3个）Drug companies may be offering cheap insulin, but it is not reaching all patients.药物公司可能会提供廉价的胰岛素，但它并未惠及所有患者。These deals are eye-catching, but when patients turn up at pharmacies, they may find they cannot grab a bargain. 这些定价很吸引眼球，但是当患者去药店买药时，他们可能会发现根本无法买到便宜药。First patients must be aware that the scheme exists and that they are eligible, which is often unclear. Then they must jump through hoops. 首先，患者必须知道该计划的存在，且知晓参与资格（这一点往往并不明确）。然后他们必须跨过重重障碍。

《经济学人》双语：美国胰岛素降价，但并未惠及所有患者

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