quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

The feds are precluding the ability of the market to set prices for prescription drugs and many other items, by virtue of patents, which grant monopolies to the sellers. There is no way that the market can reduce prices if there is no competition.

^^^^^^^^^^
Exactly, and a slight tweaking of a drug molecule leads to a new patent for the drug and extended protection.

It is a big circle jerk of errors.
Government regulations, Patents leading to monopolies, lawyers and plaintiffs anxious to cash in on all that cash.
Add insurance companies to the mess who are just taking advantage of the situation.
No one is innocent here.
The notion that only "government" can solve the problem is troubling at least to me, because they started it.

To quote the great philosopher Stan Laurel "It is a fine mess you have got me (us in this case) in to".