And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is rather modest. We hope to catch up on a backlog of reading, spend time with our short people, and promenade with the official mascots. We can all use the exercise. And what about you? This is a good time to winterize your castle or boost the economy and buy a sweater. You can plan a quick getaway now that holiday season is here. Or if you are feeling brave, you could forecast the impact those tariffs may have on your budget. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon …
Total retail prescription-drug spending, which is spending on drugs at a retail outlet or a physician office, rose 0.4 percent in 2017, compared with an increase of 2.3 percent in 2016. This was down from a 12.4 percent in 2014. And total spending last year was $333.4 billion, The Wall Street Journal writes, citing a report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which was published in Health Affairs. The deceleration in the rate of prescription drug spending was due, in part, to lower insulin prices in 2017 and a decline in spending on pain medications such as opioids.
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