I am talking about absolute costs not affordability. MRI costs might be mostly salaries, but it's not the same for drugs, labs, etc. Given the much bigger purchasing power in the US, prices should be lower, not higher. Why the economics of consumer electronics don't apply to health care? TVs and laptops are much more expensive in Bulgaria, but drugs are way, way cheaper and not subsidized - and these are commodities. Levothyroxine is a commodity available around the globe. Why it's so expensive in the States?! Why are American pharmacies buying generics from India, which so often have recalls due to contamination, and don't buy European drugs (such as from BERLIN-CHEMIE [0])? Because they want much bigger margins - I have no other explanation.
[0]: https://www.berlin-chemie.de/en-us/about-us/our-history
For most people health care is expensive no matter where they are.