“In its revival premiere Tuesday, ABC’s Roseanne tapped into a range of issues that many American families are debating in their own households, including the high cost of prescription drugs,” Sarah Gantz writes over at partner Philly.com. “In a kitchen that hasn’t been updated since the Conner family ended their nine-season sitcom run in 1997, Dan drops a paper bag of pill bottles on the table and lays it out for his wife: ‘Funny story,’ he says, ‘our insurance don’t cover what it used to so I got half the drugs for twice the price.’ Dan, played by John Goodman, died at the end of the show’s earlier run, but has been brought back to life by show creators. He sleeps with a CPAP mask, commonly used to treat sleep apnea, and, based on the pills he rolls onto the table, has high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Meanwhile, the family matriarch, played by Roseanne Barr, adds pain relievers and antidepressants to her Monday-through-Sunday pill container. It’s a sitcom, so the two make light of their plight, divvying up pills like kids trading Halloween candy. ‘I’ll trade you five of my statins for five of your anti-inflammatories,’ Dan says to his wife. ‘And I’ll sweeten the pot by throwing in a couple of blood pressures.’” Sarah Gantz, “TV’s ‘Roseanne’ can’t afford her prescription medication, either,” Philly.com.
Jeanne Pinder
Jeanne Pinder is the founder and CEO of ClearHealthCosts. She worked at The New York Times for almost 25 years as a reporter, editor and human resources executive, then volunteered for a buyout and founded... More by Jeanne Pinder