The US, like many countries, has turned its public focus onto its heal
thcare system, with drug prices drawing particular attention. Expendit
ure trends indicate that drugs do not represent a large portion of the
overall healthcare picture; the typical US consumer, however, feels t
hese costs more personally because large portions of outpatient drugs
in the US are purchased with out-of-pocket funds. Using data trends fo
r US expenditures, we contrasted projections in the year 2000 under th
e current US system relative to a strategic policy with full coverage
of prescription drugs. Under this proposed scenario, drugs still captu
red just a small portion of overall healthcare expenditures, but with
major shifting to private insurance and government programmes. Thus, a
s society increasingly views some level of healthcare as a basic human
right, effective policies for the healthcare system - including the d
rug sector - must balance competing regulatory and market pressures.