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As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

nytimes.com

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Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#21

Post by mortyseinfeld »

davidbanham wrote: post #6

How on earth can you think a free market solution is appropriate for emergency medical care? For elective procedures, sure. For the ER? How do you expect the consumer to have perfect knowledge, rationality and freedom of choice in that scenario? If your kid is gushing blood, you call an ambulance to take them wherever they can get patched up the fastest. To expect someone to shop around until they find an equilibrium…

Wrong. There are choices and not everybody is spastically out of control like apparently you would be for a few stitches.

You people have such a hard time with simple concepts, such as an ideologically disagreement on the role of government.

Your first world government did a good job of indoctrinating you.

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#22

Post by beagle3 »

jonah wrote: post #13

And how much of that is "profit"?

Amortized over the uninsured people who don't eventually pay list price, and the insured people whose insurance only pays 20% of the list price? (oh, and over the billing department that is 10 to 100 times bigger than it is anywhere else in the world) - not much profit.

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#23

Post by sjtgraham »

refurb wrote: post #12
rdtsc wrote: post #3

> Orla’s forehead was sealed with a dab of skin glue for $1,696. On Reddit, where this stuff is discussed more, I just urge people if they can get away with it (they are conscious and can hide their wallet, for ex), to just give them a fake name. Almost $2k for a dab of skin glue? No! I don't care what complicated politico-economical factor lead to that. Free market, over-regulated market,expensive doctor's education…

Have you seen the profit margins for the hospitals with these high prices? They certainly aren't raking it in. I agree that's stupid, but that's how the system works for paying for medical care in the US. From the perspective of the hospital, it makes perfect sense.

> Have you seen the profit margins for the hospitals with these high prices? They certainly aren't raking it in.

The entire notion of hospitals being profit-making enterprises where people die when they can't afford to pay is literally absurd.

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#24

Post by pyoung »

refurb wrote: post #11

These high chargemaster prices are a consequence of how insurance companies pay providers. Private insurance companies never pay the list price, but rather a percentage of it. It's sort of like if your boss asked you to something and offered to pay 200% of your costs. You'd certainly have an incentive to overstate them!

Many of the subjects in the article had insurance. Even with the insurer negotiated discounts, the prices are still insane.

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#25

Post by acjohnson55 »

mortyseinfeld wrote: post #21
davidbanham wrote: post #6

How on earth can you think a free market solution is appropriate for emergency medical care? For elective procedures, sure. For the ER? How do you expect the consumer to have perfect knowledge, rationality and freedom of choice in that scenario? If your kid is gushing blood, you call an ambulance to take them wherever they can get patched up the fastest. To expect someone to shop around until they find an equilibrium…

Wrong. There are choices and not everybody is spastically out of control like apparently you would be for a few stitches. You people have such a hard time with simple concepts, such as an ideologically disagreement on the role of government. Your first world government did a good job of indoctrinating you.

And yet, almost undoubtedly, his presumably socialist nanny-state government is providing an equivalent standard of healthcare for a fraction of the cost and complexity. Sign me up!

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#28

Post by lvs »

sjtgraham wrote: post #20
davidbanham wrote: post #6

How on earth can you think a free market solution is appropriate for emergency medical care? For elective procedures, sure. For the ER? How do you expect the consumer to have perfect knowledge, rationality and freedom of choice in that scenario? If your kid is gushing blood, you call an ambulance to take them wherever they can get patched up the fastest. To expect someone to shop around until they find an equilibrium…

Nice dig disingenuously implying the US isn't a first world country, it is of course the very definition of one. The term also doesn't relate to economic development. Anyway, even some developing countries have universal healthcare, e.g. Cuba.

The commenter is making a perfectly apt joke about the state of healthcare in the US, as exemplified in the linked article. It is indeed a "nice dig" because it's sadly true, and Americans should all know it.

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#29

Post by te_platt »

davidbanham wrote: post #6

How on earth can you think a free market solution is appropriate for emergency medical care? For elective procedures, sure. For the ER? How do you expect the consumer to have perfect knowledge, rationality and freedom of choice in that scenario? If your kid is gushing blood, you call an ambulance to take them wherever they can get patched up the fastest. To expect someone to shop around until they find an equilibrium…

It's not hard. Limited only by your imagination.

Emergency calls dispatched to competing ambulance/hospitals. Competing emergency dispatch services, say 911, 922, 933,... Customized emergency dispatch services - We'll have a life flight helicopter on call for only $99 a month! Plus any ideas from millions of people looking out for their best interests.

Re: As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

#30

Post by jammur »

sjtgraham wrote: post #20
davidbanham wrote: post #6

How on earth can you think a free market solution is appropriate for emergency medical care? For elective procedures, sure. For the ER? How do you expect the consumer to have perfect knowledge, rationality and freedom of choice in that scenario? If your kid is gushing blood, you call an ambulance to take them wherever they can get patched up the fastest. To expect someone to shop around until they find an equilibrium…

Nice dig disingenuously implying the US isn't a first world country, it is of course the very definition of one. The term also doesn't relate to economic development. Anyway, even some developing countries have universal healthcare, e.g. Cuba.

It was definitely a dig, but I don't think he was seriously implying the US isn't a first world country. I think the frustration stems from the fact that the US is the most obvious example of a first world country, and yet still hasn't figured out how to provide cost-effective and universally available healthcare to its citizens.
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