The biggest reason for higher prices for drugs for Medicare was the prescription drug bill passed under the Bush administration that prevented the government from using its buying power to negotiate prices. I understand that affects only Medicare patients but that became the springboard for other opportunistic pricing employed by all drug companies.

It does no good to always blame those government people for current circumstances. They are just riding on the wave of money like everyone else. The reason for high drug prices is that people continue to pay those prices. Drugs sold in other countries are less expensive than the same drugs sold in the US. Pharma gets paid high prices, because people pay them those amounts.