4 ms·
Why should stitches be free? Of course they arent, its being paid for under your country’s healthcare model. The cost is harder to see to the individual but i
by chapium 9y ago
Why should stitches be free? Of course they arent, its being paid for under your country’s healthcare model. The cost is harder to see to the individual but its there. I’m all for universal healthcare but comparisons like this are deceiving.
- falsedan 9y agoThe advantage of the single-payer model is this: if some clinic decides to mark-up one patient's treatment by 4,453%, the single payer can not only refuse to pay for that treatment, but also refuse to pay all other treatments performed at that clinic. This keeps the cost for treatment in a much more reasonable range, since the health care budget is debated and scrutinised as part of government spending. The Australian model is that health care providers can charge what they like, but Medicare only pays a predetermined amount for every kind of treatment. Providers are free to charge more, but have to capture the difference as a 'copay' or by billing the patient's private health insurance.
- chapium 9y agoThat makes sense. Medicare works in a similar way in the US.
- lstamour 9y agoI disagree. It’s a universal form of insurance that everyone contributes too. It’s free in the same way a public library or road is free to use. It just becomes another societal cost which frankly, no one notices. It’s not perfect either, if you want something unusual or not common, it’s possible you’ll have to pay for it if it can’t be arranged at the right price. Certain vaccines for example. So there’s still a need for health benefits but without a system charging high prices by default, even those costs tend to be more reasonable.
- danmaz74 9y agoYes, the cost is there, but it's much lower per treatment. Mainly because the medical/insurance complex makes less money off healthcare.