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Lindsey Smith

Smith 1

Sheila Fielding
WRTC 103
October 6, 2015
Rhetorical Analysis of Sylvia Engdahls
Preface to Are Prescription Drug Prices Unjustifiably High?
Sylvia Engdahls preface on Opposing Viewpoints is an exploration about the struggle
Americans are faced when affording proper health care; such as the delayed filling a prescription
medication because of the cost. The number of prescriptions rose 43% (from 2.8 billion to 4
billion) outpacing United States population growth of 9% (Engdahl). The rate of drug
prescriptions is increasing fast, surpassing the rate of growth of the population of the United
States. Affording the proper health care Americans need today is not easily achieved because of
the high cost of drugs. The rhetoric of both Sylvia Engdahls Opposing Viewpoints argument and
Lindsey Smiths companion PSA contains ethos, pathos, and logos to portray the unfair drug
prices that companies are instituting on the public.
The goal of Engdahls viewpoint is to convince the individuals struggling to pay for their
medical requirements, to reach out for help and to use Medicare or Medicaid to help pay for the
unfair drug prices. One example of Engdahls view about the controversy of the unjustifiably
high price of prescription drugs is her use of statistics on the amount of Americans unable to fill
their necessary medication needs. Engdahl states, More than one in ten (11.2%) of adults
between 18 and 64 reported that they went without or delayed filling a prescription medication
because of the costs. She also states, it can be problematic to the low-income individuals, who
may not be able to afford the higher co-payments charged for preferred medications which
usually include brand-name drugs without a generic substitute (Engdahl). This is an appeal to

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the readers emotions because the reader is able to feel sympathy for the individuals who cannot
properly improve their health without the help of the medication they need. While not only
appealing to emotion of sympathy, the author appeals to the readers emotion of fear. By the
authors use of the amount of individuals not able to keep their health outstanding, this may fear
individuals about their future income, and the issue of affording their required medication to
keep them healthy.
Engdahl also appeals to logos by providing the readers with statistics of the amount of
American spending on prescription drugs. Spending in the United States for prescription drugs
was $259.1 billion in 2010, and is projected to double over the next decade (Engdahl).
Providing the reader with these statistics reinforces the logos part on her argument of the
controversy of unjustifiably high prescription drugs prices by giving real life evidence of the
extreme United States spending of these drugs. Engdahl creates another appeal to logos by
giving examples of the money these individuals could save using Medicare or Medicaid. Using
Medicare allows these individuals to obtain these expensive drugs at a lower price There are
federal policies that help lower prescription drugs costs under Medicaid, including Section 340B
Program, which requires manufactures to provide drugs to certain providers such as community
health centers at discounted prices (Engdahl).
Although the generic brand drugs help to create a more affordable product, there are
patent protection laws that prevent these drugs from coming out right away. This forces
consumers to pay a premium price for the name. Engdahl emphasizes this inconvenience by
stating that the generic version drug is not available because of patent protection laws. Patent
protection laws provide manufacturers an exclusive right to sell a new drug product for up to 20
years, after which the drug may be manufactured in generic versions by other manufacturers,

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lowering the selling price (Engdahl). The generic from of brand name drugs work just as well
which is the reason people question why brand name drugs are unjustifiably high.

In the PSA above, ethos, logos, and pathos is used to effectively convey that drugs prices
are too high. The various amount of pill bottles in the picture above depicts that many people are
prescribed a variety of medicine which creates a financial issue. In Lindsey Smiths PSA, she
promotes the The Open Door Health Clinic Organization which helps the public with financial
issues improve their health.

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By including ethos (in this case the Open Door Health Clinic Incorporation) the viewer
sees that the information and statistical data on the public service announcement comes from a
credible source that can be trusted. The Open Door Health Clinic Incorporation provides health
services to the uninsured public. Providing these health services year round, they prove to be a
credible health source to the general public. Ethos proves that the information is accurate
regardless of whether or not the author of the source has a biased point of view.
It is clear that this PSA is against how high drug prices are through the inclusion of
pathos. The question starts off by saying Are you struggling to pay This creates an
emotional appeal that is relatable to those who struggle to afford their medication. Providing the
emotion of sympathy is an effective way to make the audience feel like they are not alone and
encourages them to look into the organization. Another example of pathos used in the PSA is the
title The War on Drug Prices. This creates a more serious tone about the controversy about the
unfair increasing prices of prescription drugs.
Finally, using logos in the PSA gives a visual representation of the company brand.
Logos in the PSA are included through the use of the statistic about adults unable to get their
medication due to costs. The statistic is clear and easy to understand. It adds an element of
interest because the 11.2% who were delayed in filling their prescription should be surprisingly
high to most viewers. The statistics above promotes the company because of the free health
services provided to the uninsured public.
The article Are Prescription Drug Prices Unjustifiably High? contains a few flaws. An
example of Sylvia Engdahls weakness in the article is her failure of describing the reasons why
these brand name drugs are so expensive. The amount of time and effort researchers and doctors
put into discovering these drugs is one of many reasons why the drugs are expensive. Because of

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the amount of effort, they need to charge a high price to cover their research and development of
the drugs. If the amount of work put into developing the drugs is decreased, then the drug itself
will not be as effective towards its desired purpose. Another reason why brand name drugs are
high priced is because the company has to advertise the product to the public. The cost of
advertising brand name drugs has directly influenced the price, but is necessary in providing
information about the drug to the individual who is consuming the medication.
Sylvia Engdahl makes a convincing argument about the overpricing of brand name drugs
and what individuals should do to obtain the needed drugs at a lower price. Engdahl uses
statistical information to support her argument that the high cost of brand name drugs is
preventing the public from receiving medication that is beneficial to their health. By using
rhetorical tools such as logos, pathos, and ethos, she is an effective writer in convincing the
public to seek help from Medicare and Medicaid. Over the next six years, Drug spending is
expected to average 6.6% per year, reflecting the diminishing impact on spending from more
patent expirations and the greater use of generic drugs (Engdahl). In the future, more people
will be able to buy drugs due to the expiration of patent protection laws making generic drugs
more easily obtainable causing the overall health of individuals to improve. Over price brand
name drugs have negatively impacted the public making these drugs rarely available and
obtainable, but is expected to change in the near future.

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Works Cited
Chan, Amanda L. "Prescription Drugs: 7 Out of 10 Americans Take At Least One, Study
Finds." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
"OPEN DOOR HEALTH CLINIC INC." Nonprofit Profile for. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
"Preface to 'Are Prescription Drug Prices Unjustifiably High?'." Prescription Drugs. Ed. Sylvia
Engdahl. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2014. Current Controversies.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
"Prescription Drugs." Ask Barry Now RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
"Student Loan Debt and the Real Estate Market." Student Loan Debt and the Real Estate Market.
N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

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