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> I know $60 Ibuprofen can seem like a lot, but is anyone arguing that you're literally paying for only the pill(s) with that $60? Aren't you paying for the ins

by dbt00 8y ago

> I know $60 Ibuprofen can seem like a lot, but is anyone arguing that you're literally paying for only the pill(s) with that $60? Aren't you paying for the instant availability, the insurance that it's not expired (do they even expire? I really don't know), and confidence that your healthcare provider has signed off that XXX mg of Ibuprofen is a.) OK to have with your current medications and conditions and b.) sufficient to do the job? Isn't some of that cost the healthcare provider's expertise and service? Would it be better if they prescribed morphine and charged you a magnitude more when ibuprofen would have done the job? It's hard to argue the 600x markup is there to cover overhead when they literally have a facility charge there to cover overhead. You also have separate line items for each of the things you mentioned -- doctors, nurses, staff, etc. You are paying for that expertise, often many times over, in addition to a $60 pill that retails for $0.10 at the local Walgreens (who also manages to make sure that it's not expired).

rootusrootus 8y ago
Absurdities like $60 Ibuprofen seem like an unforced error to me. This is the kind of blatant abuse that leads to voters getting collectively angry and getting the legislature involved.
noelsusman 8y ago
You also have to cover uncompensated care, which is a significant chunk of change at any hospital in a major metro area. Besides, nobody actually pays the charges. Insurance companies don't, CMS doesn't, and even the uninsured can typically negotiate a bill down with a quick phone call. That's why the charges are all made up bullshit. It doesn't matter so why bother? Most hospitals in the US are non-profits. You can go look at their financial statements yourself. They're not exactly raking in the dough. Running a hospital is enormously expensive, and if somebody comes in needing $1 million worth of care, then you're required by law to give it even if they can't pay. That money has to come from somewhere. That's why Ibuprofen is $60.
- JamesBarney 8y ago
  This just isn't true. The costs of the uninsured are not driving ibuprofen up to $60. The % of people who are uninsured has halved in the last decade, and this hasn't changed a thing for insurance billing.

by dbt00 8y ago

rootusrootus 8y ago

Absurdities like $60 Ibuprofen seem like an unforced error to me. This is the kind of blatant abuse that leads to voters getting collectively angry and getting the legislature involved.

noelsusman 8y ago

You also have to cover uncompensated care, which is a significant chunk of change at any hospital in a major metro area. Besides, nobody actually pays the charges. Insurance companies don't, CMS doesn't, and even the uninsured can typically negotiate a bill down with a quick phone call. That's why the charges are all made up bullshit. It doesn't matter so why bother? Most hospitals in the US are non-profits. You can go look at their financial statements yourself. They're not exactly raking in the dough. Running a hospital is enormously expensive, and if somebody comes in needing $1 million worth of care, then you're required by law to give it even if they can't pay. That money has to come from somewhere. That's why Ibuprofen is $60.

JamesBarney 8y ago
This just isn't true. The costs of the uninsured are not driving ibuprofen up to $60. The % of people who are uninsured has halved in the last decade, and this hasn't changed a thing for insurance billing.