Americans spend more on drugs, but not out of pocket

The United States pays much more than other developed countries per person for prescription drugs, but the average out-of-pocket portion of this is about on par with what people in other countries pay.

Between the lines: While this means that insurance in the U.S. covers a bigger portion of drug costs than in other countries, list prices are also higher here — meaning that plenty of people who are uninsured or have high deductibles are faced with large drug bills. And we're all paying for these high drug costs through taxes and premiums.