2 ms·

The key sentence, for me: "The pattern of Cost Disease seems to be related to things that inextricably require the unsubstitutable labour and attention not jus

by dsr_ 10y ago

The key sentence, for me: "The pattern of Cost Disease seems to be related to things that inextricably require the unsubstitutable labour and attention not just of human beings but of human beings somehow comparable to the buyer."

makomk 10y ago
On a related note, you may have heard that Obama managed to push out the date that Medicare would run out of money by 11 years through the Affordable Care Act. He did this by declaring that henceforth, one of this things that requires the unsubstitutable labour and attention of human beings somehow comparable to the buyer - consultations with doctors - would henceforth go down in price at the same rate everything else. I have my doubts as to whether this is actually possible to do by decree.
kalleboo 10y ago
It doesn't explain the insane cost increases in the US though, if you follow the links on Cost Disease in the OP, there are sources that show only minor increases in salaries (the cost of labor) http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/09/considerations-on-cost-disease/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/09/considerations-on-cost-... It also doesn't explain that only the US has these insane cost increases. It all comes down to the weird political and regulatory climate in the US. You can't draw any conclusions on the broader human condition based on such an outlier country.
- fanzhang 10y ago
  It's often cited that in Europe the sticker prices of both healthcare and education are lower. However that's because most of it is being subsidized by the state; it would be interesting to see whether the total societal costs are similarly rising everywhere for a comparable education or comparable healthcare (e.g. ER visit for broken arm).
  - Symmetry 10y ago
    No, the figures Scott cited include state subsidies. It's indicative that Britain, spending the same amount of money divided by total population, can provide healthcare to everyone for the same amount of money the US spends on Medicaid and Medicare for providing it for just the old and poor.
  - kalleboo 10y ago
    The "sticker price" in Europe is often zero. I don't think I've seen any international comparisons that don't include all the state costs. That said there are knock-on effects that aren't always well-explained - if higher education is free, doctors won't have student loans to pay off meaning they end up with lower salaries.

by dsr_ 10y ago

makomk 10y ago

On a related note, you may have heard that Obama managed to push out the date that Medicare would run out of money by 11 years through the Affordable Care Act. He did this by declaring that henceforth, one of this things that requires the unsubstitutable labour and attention of human beings somehow comparable to the buyer - consultations with doctors - would henceforth go down in price at the same rate everything else. I have my doubts as to whether this is actually possible to do by decree.

kalleboo 10y ago

It doesn't explain the insane cost increases in the US though, if you follow the links on Cost Disease in the OP, there are sources that show only minor increases in salaries (the cost of labor) http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/09/considerations-on-cost-disease/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/02/09/considerations-on-cost-... It also doesn't explain that only the US has these insane cost increases. It all comes down to the weird political and regulatory climate in the US. You can't draw any conclusions on the broader human condition based on such an outlier country.

fanzhang 10y ago
It's often cited that in Europe the sticker prices of both healthcare and education are lower. However that's because most of it is being subsidized by the state; it would be interesting to see whether the total societal costs are similarly rising everywhere for a comparable education or comparable healthcare (e.g. ER visit for broken arm).
- Symmetry 10y ago
  No, the figures Scott cited include state subsidies. It's indicative that Britain, spending the same amount of money divided by total population, can provide healthcare to everyone for the same amount of money the US spends on Medicaid and Medicare for providing it for just the old and poor.
- kalleboo 10y ago
  The "sticker price" in Europe is often zero. I don't think I've seen any international comparisons that don't include all the state costs. That said there are knock-on effects that aren't always well-explained - if higher education is free, doctors won't have student loans to pay off meaning they end up with lower salaries.