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Healthcare is explicitly an area where the government is provably more efficient, and I believe situations like those in the article are caused by the interface

Healthcare is explicitly an area where the government is provably more efficient, and I believe situations like those in the article are caused by the interface between the government and private corporations lacking appropriate oversight, investigatory powers, etc. That is to say, the issue here is not "government waste" but rather the private sector bilking the government, abetted at times by the government itself, of course. But compare Medicare reimbursement rates and private insurer rates, compare outcomes and satisfaction with care between private insurers and Medicare/Medicaid, even within the US: the government is the clear winner despite spending much less. Once you compare across countries this becomes even more obvious.

coredog64 4y ago
In the US, if you accept Medicare patients, by law you must not charge anyone less than you charge Medicare. Private entities typically see Medicare patients as marginal demand: The bed/room is there, the nurses are already staffed, so might as well take Medicare dollars than nothing. So it’s not really much of a dunk to point out Medicare vs. private reimbursement rates.
- pclmulqdq 4y ago
  Also note that Medicare pays 10 cents on the dollar for everything on the chargemaster. Hospitals are priced to make a tiny bit of money on that, so a lab test with $20 of reagents and $10 of lab tech time goes on the chargemaster for about $300. 1 hour of doctor time easily pushes you into the high thousands on the chargemaster.