Car Shopping, Handbags And Wealthy Uncles: The Quest To Explain High Drug Prices

To begin with: "You're not going to die if you don't have a car," says Erin Fox, a pharmacist who studies drug shortages at University of Utah Health. "But you could probably die if you don't have your insulin."

Prospective car buyers could always bicycle or take the bus. If they don't like a deal, they can walk away, or try to haggle.

"When you go to the pharmacy you're not negotiating with the pharmacist for the cost of your drugs," says Adrienne Faerber, a lecturer at the Dartmouth Institute.

Then there's the markup.