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It's possible, but either way the same abuse would be occurring. It happens for the same reason Tylenol is charged at like $60/pill during a hospital stay, and

It's possible, but either way the same abuse would be occurring. It happens for the same reason Tylenol is charged at like $60/pill during a hospital stay, and while we're at it the same reason the criminal justice system is so out of control: These people don't answer to anyone. Nobody is going to stop them. Talk and dream all you want about voting corruption away, it is not going to change. The system is too entrenched, and there are too many powerful people that have too much to lose to ever let it happen.

jrochkind1 10y ago
just got to give them more to lose otherwise, that's how it works.
briandear 10y ago
Tylenol is $60 per pill not because of profiteering but because of cross subsidization. They mark that pill up to cover loses in other areas.
phonon 10y ago
"Tylenol" doesn't charge "$60", the hospital does, to cover the cost of the time spent of the nurses' shifts medicating patients. (Not to mention the various other huge (legitimate!) types of overhead a hospital has.)
- ta_donk_gt 10y ago
  > "Tylenol" doesn't charge "$60", the hospital does That is what I stated. And band-aids are roughly the same price per instance. And there are also staff-related line items. And there is a completely separate EMT bill if you are transferred from the scene of an accident. A stay of about 16 hours with no procedures, just a transfer by EMT, a few bandages and Tylenol, with about 30 minutes total of staff interaction was billed at almost $15,000. There are absolutely "legitimate" charges involved, and there is a markup that would be considered legitimate, but there is also a lot of abuse that goes straight to overpaid doctors, overpaid hospital administrators and insurance companies, in the same way prison's are charged 6x or more for miscellaneous items. Legitimate charges would be listed as legitimate line items, not hidden in other marked up line items.
  - rayiner 10y ago
    The problem is not be $15 bottle of Tylenol. It's that itemizing hospital services is a total fiction given the necessity of hospitals subsidizing those who cannot pay by overcharging those who can pay.
phonon 10y ago
"Tylenol" doesn't charge "$60", the hospital does, to cover the cost of the time spent of the nurses' shifts medicating patients. (Not to mention the various other huge (legitimate!) types of overhead a hospital has.)

jrochkind1 10y ago

just got to give them more to lose otherwise, that's how it works.

briandear 10y ago

Tylenol is $60 per pill not because of profiteering but because of cross subsidization. They mark that pill up to cover loses in other areas.

phonon 10y ago

"Tylenol" doesn't charge "$60", the hospital does, to cover the cost of the time spent of the nurses' shifts medicating patients. (Not to mention the various other huge (legitimate!) types of overhead a hospital has.)

ta_donk_gt 10y ago
> "Tylenol" doesn't charge "$60", the hospital does That is what I stated. And band-aids are roughly the same price per instance. And there are also staff-related line items. And there is a completely separate EMT bill if you are transferred from the scene of an accident. A stay of about 16 hours with no procedures, just a transfer by EMT, a few bandages and Tylenol, with about 30 minutes total of staff interaction was billed at almost $15,000. There are absolutely "legitimate" charges involved, and there is a markup that would be considered legitimate, but there is also a lot of abuse that goes straight to overpaid doctors, overpaid hospital administrators and insurance companies, in the same way prison's are charged 6x or more for miscellaneous items. Legitimate charges would be listed as legitimate line items, not hidden in other marked up line items.
- rayiner 10y ago
  The problem is not be $15 bottle of Tylenol. It's that itemizing hospital services is a total fiction given the necessity of hospitals subsidizing those who cannot pay by overcharging those who can pay.

phonon 10y ago