HFA inhalers are significantly more expensive than CFC inhalers...
True: according to TFA, a HFA inhaler is $60, twice that of a CFC. However, all but the most uncontrolled asthmatics can get 1-3 years of use out of an inhaler, as each one carries ~200 doses, each enough to bring almost anything not ER-worthy under control. Anybody that's so poor that they can't save up (or borrow & slowly pay off) $60 over 1-2 years would probably qualify for Medicaid, and if not, there are quite a few programs/resources to help (community sliding-scale prescription clinics, manufacturer free/low-cost meds, etc.).
Anybody with asthma that hits them to a significant amount (i.e. even a tiny fraction of what's needed to die) doesn't use an OTC inhaler unless they're suicidally dumb. We use prescriptions like Albuterol, which has been available in HFA (i.e. not CFC) form for years now, and anyone with insurance is on a preventative medication.
One prescription inhaler holds a couple hundred treatments, which will last a moderate asthmatic a year or two, if not longer; according to TFA, they cost ~$60. (I wonder if that's the cost with a particular insurance/HMO, or uninsured?) Anybody that can't afford $60 every couple of years would almost certainly qualify for Medicaid and there are various programs out there to help Americans with serious conditions that are stuck between "too poor" and "not poor enough".
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HFA inhalers are significantly more expensive than CFC inhalers ...
True: according to TFA, a HFA inhaler is $60, twice that of a CFC. However, all but the most uncontrolled asthmatics can get 1-3 years of use out of an inhaler, as each one carries ~200 doses, each enough to bring almost anything not ER-worthy under control. Anybody that's so poor that they can't save up (or borrow & slowly pay off) $60 over 1-2 years would probably qualify for Medicaid, and if not, there are quite a few programs/resources to help (community sliding-scale prescription clinics, manufacturer free/low-cost meds, etc.).
Anybody with asthma that hits them to a significant amount (i.e. even a tiny fraction of what's needed to die) doesn't use an OTC inhaler unless they're suicidally dumb. We use prescriptions like Albuterol, which has been available in HFA (i.e. not CFC) form for years now, and anyone with insurance is on a preventative medication.
One prescription inhaler holds a couple hundred treatments, which will last a moderate asthmatic a year or two, if not longer; according to TFA, they cost ~$60. (I wonder if that's the cost with a particular insurance/HMO, or uninsured?) Anybody that can't afford $60 every couple of years would almost certainly qualify for Medicaid and there are various programs out there to help Americans with serious conditions that are stuck between "too poor" and "not poor enough".