American healthcare prices are ludicrous

[Darkatt]

Originally Posted by AksarbeN

Amazing graphs relating to costs of medical care in the U.S. Seems like it comes down to “health care for profit” heavy on the profit, health care in the U.S. wasn’t “always” this way! So what has changed? Back in the early 80’s hospitals changed to “profit” motivated.

You also have to add in the effect both Health insurance, and MEDICAL Malpractice insurance has on things. Between companies short changing the medical profession, and the number of people who believe that suing someone should mean a lifetime without working ever again, we have added to the cost of our medical procedures greatly!

[Darkatt]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

No. I'm not a fan of "Obamacare", as conservatives insist on calling it. I don't think it goes far enough. We need a single-payer system in this country and until we get it, things are only going to get worse. And the Republicans (and probably a good percentage of Democrats) will never let it happen because they're too beholden to insurance companies and healthcare conglomerates who stand to lose billions if we implement a system that works for US, the actual CITIZENS. But it's not about what we want or what is good for us. Never was, never will be.

So...we better get used to this bent-over position. We'll be here forever.

You know, I actually laugh each time I see someone asking for a single payer system.

1. Insurance as a "for profit" business probably drives more retirement and investment funds than most other businesses. I can't tell you how many government retirement funds have insurance dividends as a part of their portfolio.

2. Think of how many people you would put out of work in the health insurance industry!

Government would lose billions, retirement funds would lose billions, hundreds of thousands of people would be out of work.

Oh wait, that's happening now anyways!

[jm31828]

Originally Posted by aus10

Didn't we use to have health insurance only for the major medical stuff? We didn't use it for a trip to the Doctor for the sniffles.. When did it change?

It changed when even trips to the doctor for the minor things became quite expensive. Most regular doctor visits are at or above $100 now. As was mentioned before, the fees that doctors and hospitals charge have skyrocketed, and that is the cause for all of this mess. Other countries with equally good/modern health care just don't have fees anywhere near this high, and neither did we in the past, which is why we only needed insurance for the major stuff.

[fibonacci]

Cut out the admins in the hospitals and insurance firms and you get rid of all of the waste and red tape.

The Reason Health Care Is So Expensive: Insurance Companies - Businessweek

Oh yeah, and costs are reduced. Why are 1/4 of workers in health care not even doing related to the delivery of care? No one wants to address the fact that the real reason for rising costs are labor and salaries. Privitization of health care and insurance has been a massive massive failure economically and is also responsible for many deaths. It should be a crime.

WHy do private insurance firms even exist? Their primary goal is to NOT deliver care, the more money they take in and the more claims they reject, the more money they make for their stock holders and CEO salaries. It's a ludicrous structure that's destroying this country.


No other country on Earth has the insanely idiotic health insurance-heath care administrative scheme like we have here. It is entirely possible to cut out the middle man and delivery high quality care for a quarter of the cost. Just look at almost every other industrialized country on Earth.