4 ms·

Serious question: How is a cut throat capitalist company gaining the ability to push pills going to fix American healthcare?

legitster 9y ago
American healthcare is completely non-competitive. No pricing competition, high barriers of entry, and completely entrenched players. Any new players would be a win.
- rorykoehler 9y ago
  The main issue with American healthcare besides the price of drugs, insurance and care (which Amazon could help solve but is essentially a secondary conidition) is the philosophy around healthcare in general. It's all reactive. To solve healthcare America needs a better diet made up of actual food (not psuedo-food products), more exercise (cities designed for walking and biking not driving), doctors that aren't incentivized to sell drugs, no drug adverts etc. Basically to focus on prevention not reaction.
  - seibelj 9y ago
    For starters, doctors are in a modern guild system. They artificially limit the number of medical schools, increasing the salaries of licensed doctors while limiting the supply. As society ages and needs more medical services, the poor are continually priced out as the supply of doctors is limited artificially. Although extraordinary unpopular if you speak to doctors (as I have found), drastically increasing the number of doctors would do wonders. I’m sure there is a percentage (2%?) from poor countries that would pass in America as average quality. Next, transparent pricing. Laser eye surgery has radically improved in quality while decreasing costs because insurance (typically) doesn’t cover it. People want it, but must pay out of pocket, so they shop around and elect to laser eye surgery on their own terms. The result is increased quality at lower prices. Not every medical procedure is this way (such as the emergency room), but perhaps if I needed a knee replaced, and until I did it I merely walked with a cane, I might shop around for the best price and value. Until transparent pricing happens, and the supply of doctors meets demand, we will simply be passing laws to further warp free market incentives. My hope is that amazon increases the influence of free market mechanics into this horrible system.
    - exelius 9y ago
      Medicine cannot be managed by capitalism. Elements of the industry can, but the basic elements of care giving and treatment basically amount to “pay me or die”. The moral hazard in withholding care from some to be able to raise prices on others is too great. Capitalism is great when the incentives line up without creating moral hazard; which they do in a lot of areas. But we as a society can have different priorities, and I do believe that there is a basic level of health care that should be free to all. If you want better care or if you disagree with what is provided, you’re free to shop outside the system.
      - mistermann 9y ago
        Are no other countries capitalist systems? Say, Japan, who has fairly awesome compassionate healthcare I would think, they don't have a "socialist" medicare system do they? Britain is kind of hybrid I think? Australia as well maybe.
        exelius 9y ago
        All guarantee basic care and allow you to buy up to better care[1]. Yeah, some things that are quality-of-life impacting but not life-threatening (like say, knee surgery) can have really long waits, but everyone gets seen. You don’t have people choosing between paying rent or getting their insulin. Also, if the state had to bear the costs of health care, they might be more inclined to deal with the predatory practices of companies selling products that are dangerous long-term (cigarettes, aggressive marketing of junk food, etc) [1]: Japan apparently has subsidized health care (consumer pays 30% unless they are poor); and the UK definitely provides government care through the NHS, though you can pay out of pocket and go to a private doctor if you have the means. Australia’s system is similar to the US, and they are facing similar problems as well.
      - legitster 9y ago
        But you could say the same about food. "Pay me, or starve". But in their greed, food makers have made food cheap.
- neltnerb 9y ago
  Plus not throwing up a hundred roadblocks to actually filling a specialty prescription. I've had to go for months before without a medication I have to take for a chronic illness twice a day, delayed endlessly by runarounds. I had to have a doctor send the prescription to three different places, it was shocking that the current system could have so much confusion.
- mistermann 9y ago
  If Bezos can somehow get politicians to give him the go ahead, he could probably cut consumer's costs in half and still make an absolutely obscene margin.
clivestaples 9y ago
A growing number of Americans can't afford life-saving medications like insulin, inhalers for COPD, etc.

legitster 9y ago

American healthcare is completely non-competitive. No pricing competition, high barriers of entry, and completely entrenched players. Any new players would be a win.

rorykoehler 9y ago
The main issue with American healthcare besides the price of drugs, insurance and care (which Amazon could help solve but is essentially a secondary conidition) is the philosophy around healthcare in general. It's all reactive. To solve healthcare America needs a better diet made up of actual food (not psuedo-food products), more exercise (cities designed for walking and biking not driving), doctors that aren't incentivized to sell drugs, no drug adverts etc. Basically to focus on prevention not reaction.
- seibelj 9y ago
  For starters, doctors are in a modern guild system. They artificially limit the number of medical schools, increasing the salaries of licensed doctors while limiting the supply. As society ages and needs more medical services, the poor are continually priced out as the supply of doctors is limited artificially. Although extraordinary unpopular if you speak to doctors (as I have found), drastically increasing the number of doctors would do wonders. I’m sure there is a percentage (2%?) from poor countries that would pass in America as average quality. Next, transparent pricing. Laser eye surgery has radically improved in quality while decreasing costs because insurance (typically) doesn’t cover it. People want it, but must pay out of pocket, so they shop around and elect to laser eye surgery on their own terms. The result is increased quality at lower prices. Not every medical procedure is this way (such as the emergency room), but perhaps if I needed a knee replaced, and until I did it I merely walked with a cane, I might shop around for the best price and value. Until transparent pricing happens, and the supply of doctors meets demand, we will simply be passing laws to further warp free market incentives. My hope is that amazon increases the influence of free market mechanics into this horrible system.
  - exelius 9y ago
    Medicine cannot be managed by capitalism. Elements of the industry can, but the basic elements of care giving and treatment basically amount to “pay me or die”. The moral hazard in withholding care from some to be able to raise prices on others is too great. Capitalism is great when the incentives line up without creating moral hazard; which they do in a lot of areas. But we as a society can have different priorities, and I do believe that there is a basic level of health care that should be free to all. If you want better care or if you disagree with what is provided, you’re free to shop outside the system.
    - mistermann 9y ago
      Are no other countries capitalist systems? Say, Japan, who has fairly awesome compassionate healthcare I would think, they don't have a "socialist" medicare system do they? Britain is kind of hybrid I think? Australia as well maybe.
      - exelius 9y ago
        All guarantee basic care and allow you to buy up to better care[1]. Yeah, some things that are quality-of-life impacting but not life-threatening (like say, knee surgery) can have really long waits, but everyone gets seen. You don’t have people choosing between paying rent or getting their insulin. Also, if the state had to bear the costs of health care, they might be more inclined to deal with the predatory practices of companies selling products that are dangerous long-term (cigarettes, aggressive marketing of junk food, etc) [1]: Japan apparently has subsidized health care (consumer pays 30% unless they are poor); and the UK definitely provides government care through the NHS, though you can pay out of pocket and go to a private doctor if you have the means. Australia’s system is similar to the US, and they are facing similar problems as well.
    - legitster 9y ago
      But you could say the same about food. "Pay me, or starve". But in their greed, food makers have made food cheap.
neltnerb 9y ago
Plus not throwing up a hundred roadblocks to actually filling a specialty prescription. I've had to go for months before without a medication I have to take for a chronic illness twice a day, delayed endlessly by runarounds. I had to have a doctor send the prescription to three different places, it was shocking that the current system could have so much confusion.
mistermann 9y ago
If Bezos can somehow get politicians to give him the go ahead, he could probably cut consumer's costs in half and still make an absolutely obscene margin.

clivestaples 9y ago

A growing number of Americans can't afford life-saving medications like insulin, inhalers for COPD, etc.