The US system incentivizes garbage. It allows too many backroom deals and does not require that all customers be charged the same for the same service. Try calling your doctor and asking what a visit will cost. The first question is what insurance you have so they can tell you what they can charge those customers. These contract prices drive up costs as every provider tries to maximize their income and charge the max each contract allows.
Another problem is the FDA, drug patents, and backroom deals. For example, colchicine has been used for centuries to treat gout. Nobody ever got FDA approval because they didn't need it and it was easily available for something like 50-75 cents per pill in generic. Until the FDA allowed companies to start testing and patenting these old accepted remedies that is. Now only Colcrys is available and it costs something like $5-8 per pill. And no insurance will pay for it because they have other pills the pharma companies want to sell that you take every day instead of when you need it and they are willing to cut insurance a good deal on those to push them. So Colcrys is not even covered by my insurance and I pay out of pocket for it while they will give me something else cheaply to take every day. Funny part? The every day pill does not get rid of the need for Colcrys but even then they won't pay for it. All because everyone is making deals and nobody is required to charge all customers the same for the same thing.
