[remicade]

Yes, for the affluent those are what you typically spend. You clearly have never been seriously ill with a chronic condition. I have to take a drug every six weeks (remicade) that costs $17,000 each time for the rest of my life. I'm 23. Let that sink in. This is the state of affairs in the US. It's horrid, I didn't ask for Crohn's disease, but I'm being punished for it.

[bdcravens]

I have Cystic Fibrosis. Orkambi is the closest we've been to a cure (treating it at cellular level). Retail: $260,000 a year. However, I pay $15/month. (insurance + manufacturer subsidy). Many of my other medicines (which would cost another $100k+) are similar. I picked one of the better insurance packages (about $375/mo); I pay another $100-200 a month in copays to get $400k or more in medicine.

I'm also in the US. Why is my experience so much different than yours?

(edit: some punctuation)

[kgwgk]

I'm sorry you have to take remicade for the rest of your life, but remicade won't cost $17k each time for the rest of your life. Generic versions of remicade are already available in Europe, and will be available in the US not later than Sep 2018 (when the patent expires, but in fact a biosimilar has already been approved by the FDA and could be launched "at risk" at any time).

On the other hand, it's likely that better treatments for your condition are developed in the future and at that point you will complain about how expensive those new drugs are.