> we here in the US supposedly pay for it at the free market price
The free market price system does not work in American healthcare because we do not have a free market. Healthcare is one of the most heavily regulated industries and the third-party payment system means that consumers are divorced from the price mechanism.
As a consumer of epipens, I can assure you that we are not divorced from the price mechanism. We are talking about $300+ a unit for a dispenser (the drug itself costs pennies). The time needed for competition to manifest in the market will cause much suffering.
The free market price system does not work in American healthcare because we do not have a free market. Healthcare is one of the most heavily regulated industries and the third-party payment system means that consumers are divorced from the price mechanism.