The anecdotal evidence you cite is true and as I acknowledged, medical innovations do come from everywhere. Nevertheless, looking at aggregate numbers for new drugs, a lot are coming from the US.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/11/30/where-do-new-drugs-come-from-u-s-biotechs-lead-the-way/That was really a side comment anyway. My main point was about the role (or lack thereof) of insurance companies in health care inflation.
