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As Hospital Prices Soar, a Single Stitch Tops $500

nytimes.com

51–60 of 97 posts

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

#51
As a Canadian, I think it would be really cool if every doctor/hospital visit you went to in Canada, you got an e-mail copy of the invoice showing how much it cost, and how much was covered, just so people would start to understand:

a) how much they're costing themselves in taxes b) so they could see how awesome we have it compared to others.

I should build this. I have the connections to make it happen. Hmm...

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

#52
post #12
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.

Well i haven't seen it but they must be low if you say so. But that just means they are spending way too much and making the patients pay for it. Perhaps they need to redistribute their costs better. Why make the guy who needs skin glue pay for the expensive stuff he hasnt even used (or needed)

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

#53
post #5

Both my kids required a few stitches near their eyes. Did I opt for the $30 suture kit and do it myself? or did I opt for on-demand (there & ready, patients or not) doctor analysis (risks of fractured skull or aggressive infection), sedatives (both wriggled & screamed as I held them still, how much worse without?), experienced threading, and whatever other ideals applied? "Sure you can buy a hamburger for a dollar. B…

Half an hour job for a $200.000/year professional is $50; doubling for overhead is a roughly $100 cost for that service. Doubling it again for profit&stuff is $200 reasonable price.

Charging $2000 for a $200 service is the problem here, especially since that is not an informed market price, but an ultimatum set without a market negotiation or possibility for competition.

In most countries, including first world countries with medical facilities and doctor training comparable or better than USA, the full price would be $100 or less - disregarding who'd pay that bill (you, insurance or government), that is the full price charged by hospitals for such a service.

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

#54

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…

We need price caps for emergency care. Limiting prices to a small multiple of Medicare rates should solve the problem. Private providers can operate with price limits. Look at private electric utilities as an example. I'd like to see a price cap proposition at a future California election. I think it would pass.

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

#55
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

[deleted]

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

#56
post #12
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.

A tumor doesn't have a profit , it just grows diverting more blood from the body and expending energy with one purpose of growing. In hospitals case, their purpose is to grow and provide fat salaries to their executives.

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

#57

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.

This seems like "in the long run" eventually-we'll-get-to-933-then-everything-will-be-better thinking, and if so it lies at the root of the problem: market forces are non-stationary, making equilibrium-based-reasoning necessarily flawed. Most of those who work all day every day selling X have consistently been able to develop and exploit profitable inefficiencies more quickly than the market can correct them. As such, the success of such proposed free-market solutions depends on the particulars of how the system's higher-level dynamics are parameterized. In other words, naive deregulation and free-market-introduction will not reliably improve things, and could make (/definitely have made) things much much worse.

Just as there's no communist utopia, there's no laissez-faire promised land.

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

#58
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

yes, hence "disingenuous".

I'd go with 'sarcastic' myself - I assume he is not attempting to mislead anyone or to pretend that he sincerely believes it.

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

#59

Could this be the problem rising from US having a increased reliance on Allopathic System of Medicine? In India, Allopathic System exist together with other 4 big system, namely Unani (Old Greek), Chinese, Ayurveda & Homeopath. Yes, all practitioners have to register themselves to a certain extent with the medical board of India, but the system is not as highly centralized, and is more like professionals working most…

You seem to be flagged, i can't imagine why. Probably for criticizing modern medicine? Either way i see what you are saying. That "not-fully-qualified-as-a-doctor" professionals seem to be the go-to people for minor injuries like stitches and sprains, while for major injuries you go to a hospital. Makes sense. Why open a whole computer when you just want to know 121451*1231 right? And i guess that does bring the price down because these people aren't buried under education loans for their medical studies

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

#60

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.

See, first world governments really are better at everything!
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