• Shimmer
    +12

    I think a big part of the problem is that the manufacturer's retail price for the inhaler is artificially high, because they know that many insurance companies will cover the cost, and their end-user patients will not care about (or even see) the actual price. This disconnect between producer and consumer creates a distorted market for people whose prescriptions are not fully covered by insurance.

    It would also be useful, of course, to understand exactly why this particular insurance plan did not cover more of the retail cost of the inhaler. Perhaps the insurance company did not explain their decision in this case, but I think it would have improved the article to dig into this question more.