I think "captive market" probably contributes more than "billing bureaucracy" ... the billing is still the same issue after the generics have gotten OTC approva

I think "captive market" probably contributes more than "billing bureaucracy" ... the billing is still the same issue after the generics have gotten OTC approval for doctor prescriptions filled by a pharmacist. It's still very common for doctors to prescribe, and pharmacists to fill OTC drugs, and the payments go through the same insurance company red tape as any other Rx. And yet, the article from GP shows that the added cost of this insurance billing bureaucracy is still less than the added cost of consumer shelf-branding markups.