USA Today Article Shows What's Missing from Health Care: Real Competition (drug, insurance)

[mysticaltyger]

This was a great USA Today article on people travelling domestically for various forms of hospital care, covered by employer insurance. Employers should have jumped on this a long time ago.


Domestic medical travel is taking off for surgery deals - USATODAY.com

Of course, as I've maintained for a long time, if people paid out of pocket directly for their medical care, costs would never have gotten so out of control in the first place.

[florida.bob]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

This was a great USA Today article on people travelling domestically for various forms of hospital care, covered by employer insurance. Employers should have jumped on this a long time ago.


Domestic medical travel is taking off for surgery deals - USATODAY.com

Of course, as I've maintained for a long time, if people paid out of pocket directly for their medical care, costs would never have gotten so out of control in the first place.

That is an interesting article. It kind of points out the fundamental problem of delivery of care in a profit based delivery system. Should individual companies have to negotiate hospital prices or should there be a universal system that does that? Could there be even more cost savings? Can the quality of care be effectively maintained? Thanks for the link, it raises a lot of questions, at least in my mind.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by florida.bob

That is an interesting article. It kind of points out the fundamental problem of delivery of care in a profit based delivery system. Should individual companies have to negotiate hospital prices or should there be a universal system that does that? Could there be even more cost savings? Can the quality of care be effectively maintained? Thanks for the link, it raises a lot of questions, at least in my mind.

I don't think individual compaines or the government should negotiate. It should be like any other good or service.

There needs to be price transparency in medical care like there is for every other good and service. It is strongly resisted by hospitals and other health care companies. And your Average Joe doesn't care because he isn't footing the bill directly.

Once you have price transparency, people can shop for themselves in most instances.

[texdav]

Originally Posted by florida.bob

That is an interesting article. It kind of points out the fundamental problem of delivery of care in a profit based delivery system. Should individual companies have to negotiate hospital prices or should there be a universal system that does that? Could there be even more cost savings? Can the quality of care be effectively maintained? Thanks for the link, it raises a lot of questions, at least in my mind.

A universal system has no competition but sets prices;never bargins It also leads to the elimination of what we see how and marvel at. The fact that the US funds and does 70% of the mnedcial and drug reserch in the wolrd. That is what competive system results in. Look at the medicare;medicaid system now and then who pays to subsidise it then look at what would happen if the private that do so were eliminated.Universal health controlled by one provider is not competion at all. It turns out to be rationg of ever less available healthcare.Healthcare will turn out to be like the system of paving the streets;nice in front of the powerfuls home and full of pothoe in your neighborhood.Toherwise those that controlled governamnt would not have set themselves up a system of so mnay choices in a privte plan;they would have joined medicaid.