One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
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One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
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Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#2"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#3"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
Kind of defeats the whole "free market" thing, doesn't it?
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#4"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
that means capitalism is working right?
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#5"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
I blame employer-provided health insurance. It leads to people thinking "hey, it's free!".
The story I've heard is that at some point (WW2-ish?) there was some sort of government-induced cap on wages, so employers couldn't compete for employees merely on a cash salary.
So, as an unintended consequence to the original government action, employers started offering health insurance as a non-cash benefit.
(Please correct me if I'm wrong, I am admittedly going on hearsay.)
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#6"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
Why aren't the insurance companies working to drive prices down?
I understand the theory: People buy insurance; the insurance companies 'police' medical providers and regulate (through the market) the pricing of services.
From the outside it doesn't look like that works. From the outside it looks like very many more (often unneeded) tests are conducted. And it looks like the insurance companies are not squeezing the providers of health care, but are squeezing the patients.
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#7Always tell them you are paying in cash.
Take bill home and sumbit to insurance if you are lucky enough to have insurance.
You just saved the system at least 75% of the cost.
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#8"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
I blame employer-provided health insurance. It leads to people thinking "hey, it's free!". The story I've heard is that at some point (WW2-ish?) there was some sort of government-induced cap on wages, so employers couldn't compete for employees merely on a cash salary. So, as an unintended consequence to the original government action, employers started offering health insurance as a non-cash benefit. (Please correct…
That seems accurate.
Here is some history regarding health insurance in the US that backs up that story: http://www.ebri.org/publications/facts/index.cfm?fa=0302fact
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#9This is why the ACA is such a boon for people that thonk health care should be a free market. It takes the free market ideals and embraces them; the accusations of socialism are more telling of the accuser than the accused. That's not to say that I think health care should be a free market, just that its the goal of the ACA, and the current situation in the US is much less free a market, and due to employer provided insurance, barely a market at all. No price information is communicated to consumers, and the ACA will start to do that.
Re: One hospital charges $8,000 — another, $38,000
#10"a health system that can set prices with impunity because consumers rarely see them — and rarely shop for discounts"
Why aren't the insurance companies working to drive prices down? I understand the theory: People buy insurance; the insurance companies 'police' medical providers and regulate (through the market) the pricing of services. From the outside it doesn't look like that works. From the outside it looks like very many more (often unneeded) tests are conducted. And it looks like the insurance companies are not squeezing the…
Most private health insurance in the US is provided by employers. Thus, the people paying for the services are not the patients but insurance companies, and the insurance companies are selected by employers not the patients.