www.pbs.org PBS Airdate: August 18, 2010 Nightly Business Report profiles a woman with a pre-existing medical condition who finds health insurance to be expensive, even after the Health Care Reform Act. For more information visit: www.pbs.org

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Director of the White House Office on Health Reform Nancy-Ann deparle, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Tina Tchen and Director of Domestic Policy Melody Barnes hold a stakeholder discussion with womens groups about health care reform. June 5, 2009 (Public Domain)

Many people’s daily lives are affected by pharmaceuticals. So it is obvious that the rising cost of medicines will concern us. The ever growing prices of pharmaceutical products severely pinches one’s pocket, but it is not a commodity that can be ignored. If a person is suffering from a certain disease and the doctor prescribes him a medicine, he must purchase it whether it suits his pocket or not. There needs to be some regulation over the cost of medicines so that patients are not getting ripped off. As of now many market leaders are found to price their monopoly drugs at a very high rate.

Big pharmaceutical players in the market also pay much attention to research and development of new medications. R & D uses up millions of pounds of a company’s money every year. Businesses want to find a drug which can cure many ailments. And once any company hopes to have created any new medicine it has to pass through many different stages to get the approval of the drug controlling authority, FDA. FDA Compliance has to be reached by any new medicines before they are given to patients and this includes during research, development and production. Only once the drug has been approved by the FDA can it enter the market.

Animal and human tests are conducted on the drugs before they are given to the FDA for approval. These tests confirm the effectiveness of the medicine and makes sure that the invented drug does not have any serious side effects. All this research work is necessary so that the ultimate consumer gets nothing but the best.

As the pharmaceutical industry grows on a worldwide scale there is much more competition. In order for companies to have a fair chance, the marketing of drugs is also regulated by the FDA.

In some states, maternity care is not covered because pregnancy can be seen as a pre-existing condition. Its even legal in some states to deny a woman coverage because shes been a victim of domestic violence. First Lady Michelle Obama looks at where health care policy and people’s lives intersect. Two-time cancer survivor Roxi Griffin and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius join her to discuss how the current system doesn’t work for women and their families and why health insurance reform is so …

Sept. 3, 2009: A woman in a wheelchair is heckled at a New Jersey town hall meeting on health care, while she expresses her concerns over health costs. MSNBC’s Monica Novotny reports.

Barack Obama outlines his support of womens’ health.