The Cost of Not Getting Tested for Coronavirus: A $10K ER Bill • Hacker News Board

Re: The Cost of Not Getting Tested for Coronavirus: A $10K ER Bill

#171

Post by pstuart » Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 4:48 PM UTC

kortilla wrote: post #61

pstuart wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Overton Window has slid so far to the right that such remedies are considered to be radical . Sigh.

Single payer healthcare for all has always been radical in the US. The Overton Window shifting to the left over the last decade is what has allowed Bernie to have any relevance at all.

National healthcare has been attempted for generations now: https://www.healthcare-now.org/legislation/national-timeline...

It's been vigorously opposed by the usual suspects, but it's not at all a new proposal.

Re: The Cost of Not Getting Tested for Coronavirus: A $10K ER Bill

#172

Post by jiveturkey » Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 5:04 PM UTC

lostgame wrote: post #152

jiveturkey wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

eh? I grew up in poverty on public assistance and didn't have a decent job until I was 25. I've been hungry. etc etc. I know about being poor, ok. I also didn't defend the behavior. Get out of your personal shell and re-read it. You paid 0.05 for the Advil. You paid $49.95 for everything else that goes along with it, when you get an advil at an advanced medical care facility. You would understand that if you comprehe…

No. I paid $740 for the rest. I paid $50 for the pill. You would understand if you could get beyond defending this pathetic system. Sad and shameful. There is no excuse to mark up a pill $49.50 beyond raping the poor. That is all. Ten dollars? Sure. $49? No. Just no. Disgusting, shameful and a horrible abuse of human life.

Almost not worth arguing here.

What Martin Shkrelli did was price gouging (qualitatively, not legally, and he went to jail for securities fraud, not price gouging). In those specific circumstances, that's evil.

A $50 Advil is not price gouging. That's the cost of getting a pill -- any pill -- at any kind of medical facility. The overhead costs are exceptional. Single payer healthcare alone would probably shed 50% of the cost, before price bargaining even comes into play, as the billing involved is insane. Inventory control, yes for an Advil, brings high costs. A nurse being paid $50/hr vs a store clerk at $5/hr (neither exact numbers; just making a point) also brings high cost.

There absolutely is a reason to charge $50/advil. And that reason boils down to misaligned incentives. I won't bother to go into detail because you aren't listening.

Re: The Cost of Not Getting Tested for Coronavirus: A $10K ER Bill

#173

Post by jopsen » Fri, Mar 13, 2020, 6:24 AM UTC

jacobush wrote: post #163

jopsen wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In other countries they do that so aggressively that we have stroke victims dying, which an ambulance being dispatched. On the other hand, given that triage failures are rare -- cost/benfit wise it's probably better.

In countries where you can call an ambulance like a taxi, won't that lead to ambulances not being available to people who actually need them?

GP was making the argument that high costs of an ambulance is necessary.

Re: The Cost of Not Getting Tested for Coronavirus: A $10K ER Bill

#174

Post by jopsen » Fri, Mar 13, 2020, 6:27 AM UTC

jimbob45 wrote: post #119

jopsen wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't need to be a cost... We could just have 911 send a taxi instead. I know in other countries ambulances are not always dispatched, because 911 operators decide it's not critical. Mostly this decision is correct, but from time to time a heart patient dies. (Maybe the alternative should be to send a taxi)

Is that a thing in other countries? Sounds like an excellent idea for a bill here.

In Denmark we have cases where ambulances are not dispatched because operators don't think it necessary..

But I don't think the dispatch taxis instead -- besides our taxi availability is highly limited and extremely expensive (Uber being prohibited). To be fair taxi drivers are certified, and service is IMO high quality.

Re: The Cost of Not Getting Tested for Coronavirus: A $10K ER Bill

#175

Post by robbiep » Sun, Mar 15, 2020, 1:24 PM UTC

DannyB2 wrote: post #11

robbiep wrote: post #9

This is unfortunately why the US is going to fail miserably at containing SARS-CoV-2.

The reason we will fail to contain it is because we don't have any test kits. So we don't know the true rates of infection. Policy: ignorance is bliss! It looks better to have lower numbers.

Trump usually likes higher numbers