[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by john70t

I don't believe the ACA is involved.
Rather, it is IntelProp and importation laws which allow these companies to charge whatever they want.
It's all about stock market profits.

State medical system can't source drugs internationally and save taxpayers money:
Judge overturns Maine law allowing prescription drug imports — Health — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
The three pharmacy groups argued Maine’s law sidestepped the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s oversight, designed to protect consumers from unsafe medications.

But most US drugs are still made overseas, with little oversight:
Voters trust drugs made in USA, but few are - USATODAY.com
Yet, unbeknownst to many Americans, an estimated 80% of the substances used to make or package drugs sold here are made in other countries,

And they are not always safe:
Want to Know Which Drugs are Made in China -- Check Out This List
The FDA now says contaminated Heparin is blamed for 81 deaths and almost 800 allergic reactions. After all these recalls, the “Made in China” label is making people wary. A significant amount of the active ingredients for medicines that are sold in the U.S. are made in China. Here in the U.S. the FDA inspects pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities every two years, but the FDA admits that it only inspects about 7% of the overseas plants each year.

I don't dispute those lists but what needs to be said is large pharma tests the APIs made overseas according to US FDA regulations. I know this firsthand as I spent the last 10 years of my career in Regulatory Affairs and charged with ensuring that very thing. We also inspected those sites ourselves with our own inspectors.