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The issue is that a big % of medical expenses come from a small % of people. It would only take a relatively small number of these people moving to make a big d
by harryh 8y ago
The issue is that a big % of medical expenses come from a small % of people. It would only take a relatively small number of these people moving to make a big difference in expenses. And it's the people with the highest expenses who would have the most incentive to move.
- komali2 8y agoSounds like, if true (I was under the impression that a big % of medical cost is due to artificial cost inflation due to the existence of insurance companies), the people costing the system the most amount of money are the least able to move, because they're, you know, dying. Or have some other debilitating condition that requires them to stay with the doctors that know what's going on.
- tptacek 8y agoYou're slicing the expense on a different axis than he is. Stipulate any amount of overhead and overpricing due to a given health care regime (fully public and managed like the VA, public/private like Medicare, private insurance, whatever). Within that regime, a very small percentage of health care consumers will make up a disproportionate amount of the expense. It doesn't matter how you fund it or how efficiently you deliver it, because the disparity is on the demand side. 5% of BCBS TN's customers made up over 75% of their total expense! Those customers are perfectly capable of moving. Many of them are simply chronically ill, with things like kidney disease. But anyone who's been on a plane in the US lately can tell you that the elderly have no trouble getting around, either.