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?
The whole European Union for EU citizens with an EU health card.
Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
141–150 of 389 posts
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Do they ever try to break down why IO care is more expensive? Cuz that’s a very broad and vague bucket.
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#143Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#144This was a big accomplishment of the Trump admin. Regardless of what your other opinions of his administration are, healthcare pricing transparency in the US is a very important step forward to improving the healthcare situation there. Source (one of many): https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-drugs/white-hou...
Oh, I assumed the greatest accomplishment of the Trump Administration was the peaceful transition of power to the new administration? This does seem like a good thing though.
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
How can that possibly be true? How can in/out patient care be so vastly different in cost?
Middle men. Lots and lots of middlemen.
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#146Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
>raw cost of inpatient and outpatient care I am interested to understand what makes the "raw" costs so wildly different. When my son had an infection in germany, we went to the equivalent of pediatric urgent care and after seeing the nurse, having bloodwork done and a few different 15 minute sessions with the physician we came to the end of the visit with the doctor, they apologized that we had to be charged the full…
> I am interested to understand what makes the "raw" costs so wildly different.
In the US, hospitals lose a lot of money on patients who don't pay at all or pay pennies, and in order to not make a loss at the end of the year they charge those who can pay more money.
Also, insurances have an incentive in having hospitals set high "sticker prices" because then they can claim "higher savings" for their members.
Contrast to that, in Germany as long as a patient has any insurance (and 99.9999% of Germans do) the hospitals and doctors will get their services paid (so no need to overcharge for financial reasons), and both the mandatory insurance scheme and the private insurance companies pay fixed, government-regulated fees (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einheitlicher_Bewertungsma%C3%... for the government insurance, https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geb%C3%BChrenordnung_f%C3%BCr_... for the private insurance system).
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#147Earlier 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…
It's a poor response. Nationality is tied to legal system. For example, if a product injures me as an USAn, I need to sue to get my bills paid. As a European, I can simply get public healthcare.
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#148Is there a Walmart for medical procedures? A jiffy-lube?
Come to Brazil. The best Brazilian hospital (Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo) charges 1.7k USD for a C section (my son was born recently there), while the lowest I've found in that site is 2.6K USD (don't know about the quality) and median seems to be 8K USD. I bet the other procedures have similar price differences. You can pay for the trip, get the best care (it is a really good, international level, hospital…
And what about an MRI? This website lists rates around 2k USD, while in Brazil you can get one (in high-end modern hospitals in São Paulo) for around R$ 600 (== $120).
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
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?
Theta a terrible idea. Why "start" somewhere?
Should we abuse and enslaved more people just because someone is abused or enslaved elsewhere?
Re: Show HN: Compare prices that US hospitals charge patients, insurance companies
#150Earlier quoted context omitted.
And then the hospital can't sue you if you can't pay the absurd bill?
It isn't the people with legit complaints.... It's the people who do something foolish and then try to sue someone else blaming them... If I rent you a jetski for an hour, it isn't my fault if you drive over your child with it... It's a jetski. It's dangerous. Don't expect someone else to pay if you mess up.
In a country with socialized medical care, someone else does pay.