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Now we know why the "bill" for 2 hrs use of a tiny "bed" in an ER open bay, divided only with curtains, was $10,000 exclusive of all other services such as Nurse, Doctor, therapist, meds and supplies used.
Yep, there it is in black and white.
Meanwhile back in the free-market Elective procedure arena, prices are very low and quality very high, thanks to COMPETITION and the absence of funding by OPM.
More simple medical and optional surgical encounters can be relatively more free marketed. But when things get seriously acute and complex and life threatening, free markets have next to no influence. Closest ER and quick, and do what you need to do! You can't price shop an acute and serious ER need. In some cases you can and do 'shop' qualifications.
Again check with the hospital and find out what reimbursement they accepted.
Of course the try. But try as they may, there is no direct path.
Hospitals are not typical businesses like car dealers where they simply do not sell to no payers.
This is why it was so important to hospitals to go with Medicaid expansions. i.e. limit their no payers, to reduce their losses. Private insurance will not agree to cover these patients/losses.
Agree with it, probably not, being to detect the slight bump in price ultimately paid by "paying customers" definitely not. They are paying for it, knowingly or unknowingly.
More simple medical and optional surgical encounters can be relatively more free marketed. But when things get seriously acute and complex and life threatening, free markets have next to no influence. Closest ER and quick, and do what you need to do! You can't price shop an acute and serious ER need. In some cases you can and do 'shop' qualifications.
Again check with the hospital and find out what reimbursement they accepted.
Still, having said that, the absence of OPM will reduce costs overall - including in ERs.
Agree with it, probably not, being to detect the slight bump in price ultimately paid by "paying customers" definitely not. They are paying for it, knowingly or unknowingly.
Of course they know. They have very serious bargaining power in most locales.
OPM includes taxes, other individuals insured and deficit spending.
Take away all that, and 99% of people who experienced the accident my wife did on 1/1/17 would be dead.
And the same 99% would be dead again vs surviving her lymphoma.
Yes HC spending would go WAY down! ER not as much since payment is specifically not required.
Docs will simply close their practice if they don't make their typical office overhead. And hospitals will fail.
As OPM dried up, you will find that other expenses shrink as well.
If you want to see the corrupting influence of OPM, witness higher educations costs going up and up like a skyrocket.
Why?
OPM in the form of Student Loans, now run fully by Uncle Sam. The more loan money made available, the higher the tuition and related expenses go to keep up and absorb all that extra money.
I attended college from 72 to 78 BS and MS. Tuition was about $400 a Quarter in a State run University in the Midwest. We had about 13,000 students. We paid out-of-pocket. Now, prices are out of sight to absorb all that loan money, and student "graduate" owing many tens of thousands of $$$$.
Can you imagine how much an oil change would cost, if they billed your car insurance company, and you paid a co-pay. Sky's the limit, yahootee is paying.
While there is a role for "insurance" in the medical field for extreme cases, in most cases, use your own money and get a much better price.
As OPM dried up, you will find that other expenses shrink as well.
If you want to see the corrupting influence of OPM, witness higher educations costs going up and up like a skyrocket.
Why?
OPM in the form of Student Loans, now run fully by Uncle Sam. The more loan money made available, the higher the tuition and related expenses go to keep up and absorb all that extra money.
I attended college from 72 to 78 BS and MS. Tuition was about $400 a Quarter in a State run University in the Midwest. We had about 13,000 students. We paid out-of-pocket. Now, prices are out of sight to absorb all that loan money, and student "graduate" owing many tens of thousands of $$$$.
Can you imagine how much an oil change would cost, if they billed your car insurance company, and you paid a co-pay. Sky's the limit, yahootee is paying.
While there is a role for "insurance" in the medical field for extreme cases, in most cases, use your own money and get a much better price.
No question. More simple medical concerns are easy without insurance. Our HC cost conundrum has to do with the uninsurables. And there is no humane way to satisfy that without OPM.
No question. More simple medical concerns are easy without insurance. Our HC cost conundrum has to do with the uninsurables. And there is no humane way to satisfy that without OPM.
Then they better start saving their $$$$ and working their tails off to pay their own way. It simply isn't fair for some to be held as financial hostages by those less-responsible in the conduct of their lives. If their irresponsibility means they live a shortened life, well, they made their choices. Also, there are charities than can do some things.
It's kind of like building your house in a flood zone and not buying flood insurance, then asking to be financially bailed out when your house is wiped out. They want everyone else to pay them, but did they bother to help everyone out with the money they saved by not paying premiums? No, they just want the best of both worlds.
I know this for a fact, the more OPM in the mix, the higher costs will go, and the lower service quality will go. It is simply human nature to care less when it is money from some distant, unknown source, than when it came from the toil of your back and sweat of your brow.
If enough people feel that it should be a right then it will be a right. All rights are granted by people.
That has to be one of the scariest things I've read in a long time.
Good grief.
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