One tube of medicine = Mark VI alto?

I just bought a tube of medicine for a skin condition which would have cost me $659 if I weren’t covered on my wife’s insurance. With a coupon supplied by my doctor the net cost was zero. It was a manufacturer’s coupon covering up to $50 in copayment costs.

Just to gain a little perspective on this, my Selmer Mark VI, which was bought for me in 1967, retailed at the time for $630. It was my first exposure to the crazy world of music store prices, and we ended up paying half that. If I sold that horn now, it’d go somewhere between $4500 and $5000.

But still, buying a 100g tube of medicine for nearly the same price . . . this is crazy business. No wonder something’s got to change.