What drug treatment are you referring to, in particular? In many countries, including those with both socialized and private healthcare, insurance companies ro

What drug treatment are you referring to, in particular? In many countries, including those with both socialized and private healthcare, insurance companies routinely pay for treatments costing much more than the statistical value of life. Also, these incredibly expensive single-dose cures usually are that expensive because they don't benefit from any economies of scale and/or haven't recouped their investment yet. In competent healthcare systems, the price is driven down substantially sooner rather than later for almost all drugs through negotiations.