[Spoon Man]

Does anyone have information on the taxes that the Insurance companies face? I'd imagine that its not a low percentage. Those taxes, like any other expense, also would get passed on to the consumer.

The Straven, you are correct about the the pharmaceutical industry having us over a barrel. But there is a lot of R&D costs for what they produce. If, however, people in the US wanted to change the cause to the issues rather than add a "band aid" fix, we might not be in this situation.
As for hospitals charging different for people with Insurance than people without, the insurance companies have agreements with hospitals (at least they do in GA) where they are charged less due to the volume of payments to the hospital. Its similar to wholesale or buying in bulk, or walmart. If your buying a lot, you pay less per item because the hospital will still make a sizable enough profit.