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Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

turquoise.health

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Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#91

Post by electriclove »

emteycz wrote: post #48
dr_faustus wrote: post #44

It's always fascinating to see that even compared to prices you pay as a self-paying patient in Germany (which are already 1.5x - 2x higher than what the "public" insurances, ie. 85% of the population, pay for the same procedures), the prices in the US are about 5x to 10x higher. The standard of care seems to be quite comparable if you look at outcomes, so there must be huge inefficiences in the American system (doct…

I don't believe any medical professional in Germany has wage exceeding 150k EUR yearly after taxes - doctors in the US sometimes have multiples of that, coincidentally 5x to 10x more is not unusual.

Is this getting downvoted for saying German docs don't make more than 150k EUR or that US docs sometimes make multiples of that?

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#92

Post by u678u »

emteycz wrote: post #48
dr_faustus wrote: post #44

It's always fascinating to see that even compared to prices you pay as a self-paying patient in Germany (which are already 1.5x - 2x higher than what the "public" insurances, ie. 85% of the population, pay for the same procedures), the prices in the US are about 5x to 10x higher. The standard of care seems to be quite comparable if you look at outcomes, so there must be huge inefficiences in the American system (doct…

I don't believe any medical professional in Germany has wage exceeding 150k EUR yearly after taxes - doctors in the US sometimes have multiples of that, coincidentally 5x to 10x more is not unusual.

Yeah surgeons make multiples https://www.physiciansweekly.com/2018-physician-compensation.... That doesn't include profits from owning their own biz.

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#93

Post by rtx »

dante_dev wrote: post #66
emteycz wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe any medical professional in Germany has wage exceeding 150k EUR yearly after taxes - doctors in the US sometimes have multiples of that, coincidentally 5x to 10x more is not unusual.

Just throwing some data, average general practice doctor is 150k$ in US vs 61k$ in germany. https://www.payscale.com/research/DE/Job=Physician_%2F_Docto... https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Physician_%2F_Docto...

That's good, doctors should be paid more. 15 years for a license.

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#94

Post by bhupy »

btbuildem wrote: post #54
dr_faustus wrote: post #44

It's always fascinating to see that even compared to prices you pay as a self-paying patient in Germany (which are already 1.5x - 2x higher than what the "public" insurances, ie. 85% of the population, pay for the same procedures), the prices in the US are about 5x to 10x higher. The standard of care seems to be quite comparable if you look at outcomes, so there must be huge inefficiences in the American system (doct…

I imagine it's on account of all the administration and intermediaries.

It's not. There's a good breakdown that compares what drives healthcare spending between the US vs Germany (and others).

https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/what-drives-health...

The vast majority of the difference comes from just the raw cost of inpatient and outpatient care. Even if you were to completely zero out the administrative costs per capita, you'd hardly make a dent in bridging the gap.

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#95

Post by dboreham »

btbuildem wrote: post #54
dr_faustus wrote: post #44

It's always fascinating to see that even compared to prices you pay as a self-paying patient in Germany (which are already 1.5x - 2x higher than what the "public" insurances, ie. 85% of the population, pay for the same procedures), the prices in the US are about 5x to 10x higher. The standard of care seems to be quite comparable if you look at outcomes, so there must be huge inefficiences in the American system (doct…

I imagine it's on account of all the administration and intermediaries.

Also lack of shame and, greed.

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#96

Post by swebs »

rplnt wrote: post #8

Why are the prices so insane? Where do the money go? I'm from Eastern Europe so of course the prices would be different, but by an order of a magnitude at the minimum seems strange.

>Why are the prices so insane?

Because up until a few weeks ago, people weren't allowed to see what hospitals charged until AFTER getting their bill. It was a ridiculous system, and I'm glad Trump got rid of it.

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#98

Post by londons_explore »

snakeboy wrote: post #90
londons_explore wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my businesses refuses to serve Americans simply because they have a habit of reaching for the legal system if they aren't happy with the service. All the Americans end up going to my competitor, who is currently in the midst of three lawsuits which will probably sink the company. Two of the lawsuits are with clients I turned away simply because they looked likely to sue! You can bet that as an American, you wi…

That's why I don't let black people into my restaurant. Statistically, they're more likely to commit a crime once inside, so I don't want to take the risk. All the black people in town end up going to the restaurant down the street, who had their register robbed one time by a dark-skinned fellow that I turned away because he sure looked suspicious! I sure hope they've learned their lesson by now. You can bet that as…

I'd be all for banning discrimination based on nationality. But we need to start with the biggest discriminators - governments. Why is an American allowed into America, but a Syrian isn't?

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#99

Post by miguelrochefort »

swebs wrote: post #88
terse_malvolio wrote: post #9

Sometimes the cost is bigger than the cost in a different country plus the plane ticket.

What country lets non-citizens just walk in to use the health care system?

Thailand.

Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies

#100

Post by jogjayr »

swebs wrote: post #88
terse_malvolio wrote: post #9

Sometimes the cost is bigger than the cost in a different country plus the plane ticket.

What country lets non-citizens just walk in to use the health care system?

I assume they were referring to countries where you can pay out of pocket for care at private clinics and hospitals, as a visitor. It's called medical tourism. India is a major destination.
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