It is pretty amusing to see Europeans gloating over their low-cost/public healthcare while part of its treatment structure is subsidized by Americans through what they pay for the same to the same companies.
So you're basically admitting that the "soft power" we supposedly got from anchoring NATO for the past 70 years is worthless, and Europeans view Americans as suckers.
Well, that situation has a bit more complexity, my comment was getting rather long anyway, and I didn't think it would help anyone if I also tried to address it. I also suspect that this comment won't help, either, but I'll try.
But as we are supposed to steelman others on hn, I will pretend that your comment was made in good faith, and that you are actually amused by "Europeans gloating" and just want my take on the rest of the parent comment.
Of course, some of the price difference between US and the rest of the world comes from research and development, along with price segmentation, the latter being pretty much standard in capitalism on a global scale.
But as long as your drug companies spend so much on marketing and making intermediaries rich beyond measure, and your government doesn't negotiate the prices down and doesn't properly regulate them, it seems a bit strange to me to completely focus on the r&d part when talking about the 10x difference.
While the US isn't willing to meaningfully address any of the other major issues with healthcare pricing, it feels like this issue is just an excuse for some Americans to see themselves as victims on the global stage, which has become rather fashionable with supporters of the current administration. To an outside observer, the situation looks very similar to the ongoing embarrassment about the tariffs, or the examples I have already given about
defense spending and vacation time.
Obama repeatedly referred to Europeans as "free riders" on matters of defense: https://archive.is/cvJ8d
Historically, with American Exceptionalism, Americans didn't care as much about getting a fair deal as long as they were making the world a better place. It's you Europeans who decided to gloat and undermine American Exceptionalism. That's why Americans from both parties are now focused on getting a better deal for ourselves. American Exceptionalism is over, and smug Europeans are on their own now.
"makes fun of us for overspending on health care yet charges us 10X as much for the drugs they manufacture: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/heres-how-much-more-o..."
It is pretty amusing to see Europeans gloating over their low-cost/public healthcare while part of its treatment structure is subsidized by Americans through what they pay for the same to the same companies.