Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

vox.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 163 posts

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#31

Post by thfuran »

namdnay wrote: post #8
giantg2 wrote: post #7

The thing that doesn't get mentioned much in these conversations that I've personally seen play a big role is the regulation. When you have highly complex regulations, you end up consolidating practices. As regulations increase, the number of distinct providers/owners decrease. Many individuals don't want to run their own practice due to the complexities (insurance, etc) that exist beyond the work (treating people).…

Regulations for healthcare exist are complex in every developed country, but in most everything works fine for a fraction of the cost, so I don’t think that’s the main issue

But they obviously aren't the exact same set of regulations everywhere.

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#32

Post by giantg2 »

ryandrake wrote: post #11
giantg2 wrote: post #7

The thing that doesn't get mentioned much in these conversations that I've personally seen play a big role is the regulation. When you have highly complex regulations, you end up consolidating practices. As regulations increase, the number of distinct providers/owners decrease. Many individuals don't want to run their own practice due to the complexities (insurance, etc) that exist beyond the work (treating people).…

> The thing that doesn't get mentioned much This gets mentioned every time. The regulation boogeyman always shows up. If only there were fewer rules... everyone could make more money, the little guy would be able to enter and play fast and loose, and nobody would do the wrongdoing those rules were meant to correct/prevent. Yes, there are regulations in health care. There are regulations in almost every industry, and…

"This gets mentioned every time."

No, this gets mentioned in other healthcare conversations but rarely in PI takeover conversations.

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#33

Post by [deleted] »

skhunted wrote: post #10
giantg2 wrote: post #7

The thing that doesn't get mentioned much in these conversations that I've personally seen play a big role is the regulation. When you have highly complex regulations, you end up consolidating practices. As regulations increase, the number of distinct providers/owners decrease. Many individuals don't want to run their own practice due to the complexities (insurance, etc) that exist beyond the work (treating people).…

Many individuals don't want to run their own practice due to the complexities (insurance, etc) that exist beyond the work (treating people). It’s interesting that the one specific thing you mention is insurance. That particular complexity doesn’t come from regulation. It comes from the immoral insurance industry.

[deleted]

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#34

Post by VancouverMan »

skhunted wrote: post #10
giantg2 wrote: post #7

The thing that doesn't get mentioned much in these conversations that I've personally seen play a big role is the regulation. When you have highly complex regulations, you end up consolidating practices. As regulations increase, the number of distinct providers/owners decrease. Many individuals don't want to run their own practice due to the complexities (insurance, etc) that exist beyond the work (treating people).…

Many individuals don't want to run their own practice due to the complexities (insurance, etc) that exist beyond the work (treating people). It’s interesting that the one specific thing you mention is insurance. That particular complexity doesn’t come from regulation. It comes from the immoral insurance industry.

The widespread need for medical insurance only exists because regulation has introduced many artificial inefficiencies within the health care sector that in turn severely distort the pricing of medical services and medical products.

We'd see far more reasonable pricing, and much less need for something like medical insurance, without the regulations that artificially limit the supply of practitioners and clinics, that prevent competition, and that introduce unnecessary costs, among other distortions.

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#35

Post by ghaff »

titanomachy wrote: post #25
404mm wrote: post #18

I live in north Texas, and the situation here is pretty much on par with the article. Urgent Care & Emergency Room combos are here on every corner. It’s a lucrative business, so it makes sense that private equity firms are gobbling it up. But I think the more interesting problem here is one level up. Why are there so many of them? I see two possible reasons: 1. Anytime one of my family members gets sick, it’s rather…

$300 is your part of a regular doctor visit? Or the total bill? Do you have one of those high-deductible plans designed to discourage people from seeking any healthcare?

When I was covered by an employer plan, a lot of people seemed to gravitate towards high deductible plans because they were cheaper so long as you didn't consume a lot of healthcare. (Personally, I never did but a lot of people were adamant that you saved money that way.)

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#36

Post by giantg2 »

bluecalm wrote: post #26
ryandrake wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The thing that doesn't get mentioned much This gets mentioned every time. The regulation boogeyman always shows up. If only there were fewer rules... everyone could make more money, the little guy would be able to enter and play fast and loose, and nobody would do the wrongdoing those rules were meant to correct/prevent. Yes, there are regulations in health care. There are regulations in almost every industry, and…

Or maybe regulation is in fact a problem. In my country there is less regulation in healthcare services. I can walk into multiple private facilities in my town, get full blood panel with almost everything you can think of included (hormones, vitamins/mineral levels, liver markers etc) for around 100$. The results are going to be available online the same day (with the exception of those that require more lab time). T…

In the US you can have similar labs done at Labcorp or Quest. Prices are similar or slightly higher. MRIs are prescription only and higher priced. One main difference is that most labs here require a prescription, which means you need to go to a different provider just to get the piece of paper and pay them. Of course these providers are both massive chains. Not sure if either are PI owned.

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#37

Post by finnh »

bluecalm wrote: post #26
ryandrake wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The thing that doesn't get mentioned much This gets mentioned every time. The regulation boogeyman always shows up. If only there were fewer rules... everyone could make more money, the little guy would be able to enter and play fast and loose, and nobody would do the wrongdoing those rules were meant to correct/prevent. Yes, there are regulations in health care. There are regulations in almost every industry, and…

Or maybe regulation is in fact a problem. In my country there is less regulation in healthcare services. I can walk into multiple private facilities in my town, get full blood panel with almost everything you can think of included (hormones, vitamins/mineral levels, liver markers etc) for around 100$. The results are going to be available online the same day (with the exception of those that require more lab time). T…

200 dollars for an MRI with no referring reason is inexpensive for sure. Where is that?

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#38

Post by lifeisstillgood »

bluecalm wrote: post #26
ryandrake wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The thing that doesn't get mentioned much This gets mentioned every time. The regulation boogeyman always shows up. If only there were fewer rules... everyone could make more money, the little guy would be able to enter and play fast and loose, and nobody would do the wrongdoing those rules were meant to correct/prevent. Yes, there are regulations in health care. There are regulations in almost every industry, and…

Or maybe regulation is in fact a problem. In my country there is less regulation in healthcare services. I can walk into multiple private facilities in my town, get full blood panel with almost everything you can think of included (hormones, vitamins/mineral levels, liver markers etc) for around 100$. The results are going to be available online the same day (with the exception of those that require more lab time). T…

Which country are you in?

Re: The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms

#40

Post by swatcoder »

404mm wrote: post #18

I live in north Texas, and the situation here is pretty much on par with the article. Urgent Care & Emergency Room combos are here on every corner. It’s a lucrative business, so it makes sense that private equity firms are gobbling it up. But I think the more interesting problem here is one level up. Why are there so many of them? I see two possible reasons: 1. Anytime one of my family members gets sick, it’s rather…

3. Demand for immediate care is high.

The next "one level up" might explore how much is because the community is quite morbid and unwell, because modern culture has displaced traditional home/self care with consumerized services, or because of other things.

There are people I know who are largely healthy and who consult paid medical services many times per year for everyday disturbances, and others who take decades to overcome procrastination to even get a physical. The demand for commercialized health services is very much a cultural thing, especially for everyday wellness, and that culture has been evolving quite dramatically.

Meanwhile, there's no ignoring that obesity and sedentary living are rampant, that a recent pandemic spooked people about infectious disease and its possible consequences, etc.

You're thinking about the pocketbook economics, here, but looking at it through these other lenses might provide further perspective too.

Post reply on HN