Drug, device companies paid $3.5B to doctors, hospitals

And you wonder why doctors are so willing to write a prescription?

That is a much higher number than I would have assumed. And apparently it doesn't include many payments that are still sealed.

These companies try to influence doctors to prescribe overpriced brand name drugs. One small thing you can do to combat this is to ask your doctor to prescribe generic meds when possible.

The newly public data cover 4.4 million payments during the last five months of 2013 that totaled $3.5 billion. Fridley’s Medtronic Inc. appeared to be the biggest payer in Minnesota

The data release was mandated by the Affordable Care Act. [aka, Obamacare]

Thank you, Obama and Franken.