3 ms·

I similar, but much less medically severe, experience with a gallbladder infection due to stones. This was in Germany. The cost of the sonogram and and ultrasou

I similar, but much less medically severe, experience with a gallbladder infection due to stones. This was in Germany. The cost of the sonogram and and ultrasound was c.a. 100 euro. The blood test was a pittance. And, becuase my medical German was/is very poor I had an exensive private consultation with the director of the E.R. who spoke near-natively fluent English. The total cost: 250 euro out-of-pocket The cost of one sonogram in the US: $1500 (before insurance) Healthcare in the US is a byzantine protection racket and very potentially a means to mass surveilance beyond the scope of public health.

srean 10y ago
This is a topic that has come up on HN so many times that I have lost count. I have come to the conclusion that the US milieu is so dogmatically against any alternative that the standards of a proof that they will demand to be acceptable far outstrips the standards that they will demand of other things. This is the diametric opposite of preaching to the choir. Ultimately its them who gets handed the shorter end of the stick. Some are rich enough that it does not affect them as much. What intrigues me is the behavior and rationalizations of those who cannot escape the adverse consequences. Forget drug and hospitalization pricing for the moment, just the institutionalized control (cartelization) of the license to practice medicine is a tell tale sign.