> Private insurers do so instead, but the government binds their hands, for example by requiring them to pay for six broad categories of drugs, without exceptio

> Private insurers do so instead, but the government binds their hands, for example by requiring them to pay for six broad categories of drugs, without exception I'd like to understand more of this -- it seems like there is hand-tying at multiple levels. In addition to insurance companies, why isn't it possible for pharmacies, for example, to compete on price directly -- CVS, or Walgreens, or potentially even Walmart, seem like they would have sufficient market share to negotiate prices as well.