Policy
Policy analysis stories using R&D spending data, researcher workforce comparisons, and government statistics.
278% Drug Price Penalty: Your $460 Meds Cost $120 Everywhere Else
Policy • Healthcare • Drug Pricing • Medicare • Pharmaceuticals
The same medications cost 278% more in America than in 33 other developed countries. Same pills, same manufacturer, different price. The pharmaceutical industry spent $388 million lobbying Congress in 2024 to keep it this way. Generic drugs cost 80 to 85% less but only 84% of eligible prescriptions use them.
Generic drugs are FDA-equivalent to brands but cost 80 to 85% less. Cost Plus Drugs saves patients 81% on average. The $2,000 Medicare cap protects 11 million Americans in 2025.
2X Innovation Collapse: How America Lost Its Lead to South Korea
Policy • Research • STEM • Competitiveness • Education
South Korea: 9,435 researchers per million. United States: 4,825. South Korea has 2x our researcher density. In 1996, America led. Today, we rank outside the top 15 globally. The Asian research boom rewrote the global innovation map while America rested on legacy. The gap widens every year we delay.
South Korea has 2x America's researcher density. They grew 332% while we grew 54%. The blueprint exists in Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. The question is whether we'll follow it before the gap becomes permanent.