This reminds me of an old friend who died last year of cancer at age 76. I visited him at home about a month before he passed away. He was on the couch and couldn't really walk without assistance but his mind and eyes were sharp. Fortunately, he had some sort of insurance and had his younger brother present to look after him.
He was telling me about all the drugs and chemo-therapy he had to take and go through. Then he told his brother to grab him that bottle of pills that were supposed to help him eat or assist his sense of taste. He held the bottle in his hand for me to see and said, "See this bottle of pills, it's supposed to help me eat and I can't eat sh*t. It cost $500.00 for a one month supply."
He knew what the value of 500 dollars was from long ago; he probably could have bought a small farm way back then for it.
My observation of this is that whenever the gummint sticks its nose into things, prices and costs skyrocket. Thanks for listening to my little rant.
That is the key. Everything they touch turns to unaccountable sewer water. It smells the same, no matter what political party ditch it flows from. And was predicted over and over by our wise founding fathers.
"Nothing is more permanent as a temporary government program."
Milton Friedman
Best regards, UB.