Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder why? My pharmacy in Spain is owned by this older lady who's had this shop for life. Not too many customers but she manages and even has a few part time staff. It pays enough to make a living. And she always knows what I need and pings me on WhatsApp if something is ready for pickup. And there's 4 such neighborhood pharmacies within 200 metre walk. No kidding. All are viable. I wonder, what changed in America…
> I wonder, what changed in America? Why is the mom and pop pharmacy not viable anymore Deregulation at every level = small/low leverage players get squeeeeezed. Most likely in Spain (and much of the world), you have controlled pricing of drugs and fixed markups/fees at pharmacies. Quite possibly it’s illegal there for a non-pharmacist to own a pharmacy and they can’t own a bunch as a silent/relatively inactive partn…
I love how stating a simple truth gets you downvoted. Deregulation doesn't mean "less regulation". Maybe in the abstract, but in practice after it passes through the political machine it means increasing regulation that entrenches a handful of large "private" businesses, while removing regulations that would constrain those businesses commensurate with their market power.
It's a plain fact - the players in the health care industry are closer to de facto governments rather than productive businesses in a competitive market. But yet they're allowed to squeeze pharmacy owners, patients, and anyone they can due to lack of effective regulation. That is why our small pharmacies are going away.
Note that I personally favor more market based reforms (eg the sheer majority of visits/procedures/medication should have up-front prices, and those prices should be uniform no matter who might be paying). But we've currently got the worst of both worlds and I would basically support any angle of reform as long as it actually reforms rather than resulting in more regulatory capture.