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As a physician, I am blown away by the fact that almost no one is talking about the true problem: American health care is artificially hyper-inflated, expense-w

As a physician, I am blown away by the fact that almost no one is talking about the true problem: American health care is artificially hyper-inflated, expense-wise. Sooooo much waste. Sooooo much inefficiency. The problem is the cost is too high! So why, oh why oh why, is NO ONE TALKING ABOUT FIXING THE ARTIFICIALLY HIGH PRICES? Because those who make money off the system are controlling the narrative. They are more than happy to have the population "empowered" by increasing insurance coverage. More money for them. More reason and excuse to increase the costs even further. There is zero reason why a doctor's visit can't cost $100. Maybe less. Break something and need a few x-rays? $100 each, max, including development and reading costs, everything. Need an appendix or tonsils removed? $500 would cover pretty much everything. Sure, such things aren't cheap, but they're survivable. But as soon as we somehow decided we needed "insurance" for such routine expenses, the costs shot up and never looked back. The actual consumers of health care never see the price tag, and - surprise, surprise - the costs have no real reason to stay held back. The systems have no incentive to stay efficient and accountable.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
pcurve 10y ago
How do you propose we start to tackle the problem? I'm no stranger to the issue, having worked many years in the same dirty industry as you, but on pharmacy benefits side. It's not just one particular group getting rich in this sector; healthcare is a giant gravy train for everybody: you, me, insurance companies, pharmacists, hospital systems, drug makers, diagnostic tool makers, dme makers. Everybody is getting rich. Where do you even start?
- dredmorbius 10y ago
  Capitated coverage with outcomes metrics. You're rated on what you acheive, not what you spend (as a healthcare provider).
- GarrisonPrime 10y ago
  Massive education of the consumer is where I think the weak point is. Every aspect of our society minimizes or ignores the fact that our bodies need occasional attention. The public at large needs to be told the reality that maintenance is incredibly important. Getting teeth cleaned every 6-12 months, getting a colonoscopy at age 50 and every decade thereafter, getting your eyes examined every year or two - these should be seen as routine and just as expected as needing to mow your lawn or buy another gallon of milk. The idea that we don't need to budget for such things and just rely on "insurance" is asinine. I encourage everyone I know to budget and save for predicable expenses, have savings, and only use insurance for catastrophic coverage.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

pcurve 10y ago

How do you propose we start to tackle the problem? I'm no stranger to the issue, having worked many years in the same dirty industry as you, but on pharmacy benefits side. It's not just one particular group getting rich in this sector; healthcare is a giant gravy train for everybody: you, me, insurance companies, pharmacists, hospital systems, drug makers, diagnostic tool makers, dme makers. Everybody is getting rich. Where do you even start?

dredmorbius 10y ago
Capitated coverage with outcomes metrics. You're rated on what you acheive, not what you spend (as a healthcare provider).
GarrisonPrime 10y ago
Massive education of the consumer is where I think the weak point is. Every aspect of our society minimizes or ignores the fact that our bodies need occasional attention. The public at large needs to be told the reality that maintenance is incredibly important. Getting teeth cleaned every 6-12 months, getting a colonoscopy at age 50 and every decade thereafter, getting your eyes examined every year or two - these should be seen as routine and just as expected as needing to mow your lawn or buy another gallon of milk. The idea that we don't need to budget for such things and just rely on "insurance" is asinine. I encourage everyone I know to budget and save for predicable expenses, have savings, and only use insurance for catastrophic coverage.