“Forcing big pharma to negotiate for set prices to Medicare/Medicaid shouldn’t be difficult. If they are locked out of all those customers by denying any payment for those drugs, their businesses won’t survive.”
I hope you realize that this will result in many people losing access to drugs that have been working well for them for years. Often, they have tried several drugs and are taking a particular medication that works best for them. Part of the beauty of our capitalist system is the plethora of innovative new drugs which have exclusive benefits.
You are confusing “access” with “affordability”. If Medicare/Medicaid/VA won’t pay for something, that doesn’t mean the patient has no “access” to it. It means the outrageous prices will create backlash against the pharma companies and drive prices lower. Just as any free market is supposed to do.
Having a third party like an insurance company or government paying the bill has wrecked the “free market” that requires a direct relationship between the seller and the consumer to function properly.