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Employers Took on Healthcare Costs, and the Fight Got Nasty
- lmm 3y agohttps://archive.li/OWXIb https://archive.li/OWXIb
- foresto 3y agoThese look like the same article, without the paywall: https://www.advantageben.com/whats-new/news/2023/09/these-employers-took-healthcare-costs-and-fight-got-nasty https://www.advantageben.com/whats-new/news/2023/09/these-em... https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/these-employers-took-on-healthcare-costs-and-the-fight-got-nasty/ar-AA1hnTZo https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/these-employers-took...
- Gunax 3y agoAlways goes up. I know it's cliche to say we cannot afford it anymore (we evidently can afford it, as we are paying for it). But eventually we really truly will not be able to afford it. 5k to 22k in 23 years means it's going to be around 90k in 2045.
- deprecative 3y agoHave you tried not being poor? We all know the poors don't deserve healthcare. The answer unfortunately lies in Health Insurance companies existing and we don't really want to do anything else. Eventually they'll have to stop somewhere but with everything else going up what will give if not guillotines?
- nxm 3y agoNo it’s not just health insurance to blame Doctors and nurses (who are very expensive) cost money as well as the drugs and the research costs behind them. I know Bernie and socialists love to blame health insurance, but doctors, nurses, hospital staff and drug companies would still cost money. See how much NHS costs are in Britain..yes they maybe lower per capita than in the US, but still HUGE
- Drakim 3y agoUnless the wages of doctors, nurses, hospital staff and the employees of drug companies have gone up 200% the last 20 years I seriously doubt they are the root cause.
- Auracle 3y agoOur doctors and nurses are paid quite a bit more than most (if not all?) countries. “The Royal College of Nursing estimated in 2021 that the average annual salary of an NHS nurse is £33,384. “ https://www.nurses.co.uk/blog/a-quick-overview-of-nurses--salaries-in-the-uk/ https://www.nurses.co.uk/blog/a-quick-overview-of-nurses--sa... “A U.S. nurse averages $82750 a year. California RNs top the list at $124000 annually.” https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/the-highest-paying-states-for-nurses/ https://www.incrediblehealth.com/blog/the-highest-paying-sta...
- tcbawo 3y agoAn interesting comparison might be veterinary care, which has also been increasing for quite some time. The typical insurance model for veterinary care is quite different than human healthcare insurance. However, one aspect in common is a consolidation of medical supply chain providers (decreased competition, rising costs for providers) and a proliferation of for-profit, private-equity backed, large healthcare providers who are able to negotiate prices and maximize profits by passing on price increases to those able to pay.
- FireBeyond 3y agoPrivate Equity has been getting in to veterinary care in a huge way, and many vet offices are cutting back on services and staffing significantly. It's very easy to see the change in motivation.
- tcbawo 3y agoWhen you have for-profit healthcare, it’s not surprising that the system optimizes for short term profits over the well-being of healthcare workers or patients. People are willing to pay almost anything to stay alive and/or healthy. Healthcare workers will be paid (and otherwise treated) just well enough that they don’t leave. Sadly, the incentives are awful for people who get into healthcare for altruistic reasons.
- chmod775 3y agoEven for the top 10% some hospital bills are "honey, we need to sell the car" money. They'll wipe 1-2 years worth of disposable income. A 10 day hospital stay + airlift back home can be 120k.[1] [1] https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-widower-stuck-with-us-100k-medical-bill-after-late-wife-hospitalized-on-vacation-1.6579045 https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-widower-stuck-with-us-100...
- tadeegan 3y agoRepublicans are upset about unaffordable healthcare compared to the public Medicaid.. The irony!
- somewhereoutth 3y agoHealthcare costs are spiralling because: - ageing population, ironically because of the success of healthcare - (US specific) avoidance of preventative/precautionary treatment for fear of outsized bills - (US specific) wildly inefficient and predatory 'insurance' system
- amanaplanacanal 3y agoOne more thing, which might even be the most important, third party payments, which means the patient has almost no incentive to find cheaper options. This is exacerbated by the inability to compare prices built into the system.
- somewhereoutth 3y agoI don't think a market for health is appropriate or could function correctly at the consumer level. If I'm ill, I want to get fixed with the currently understood medical best practice and in a timely manner - not look for 'cheaper options'. That is what universal/non-marketplace healthcare is intended to deliver - and to a first approximation does just that in many places, and any rationing necessary is done according to need, not ability to pay.
- ttt3ts 3y agoEven in those systems if you have more money you can get better and faster care. Something like 60% of Canadians have private insurance. I live near the border and several of my friends have visited the US for to bypass lines.
- Explore3003 3y ago[dead]
- angmarsbane 3y agoHow possible is it to find cheaper options even if someone wanted to do so? It's nearly impossible to get healthcare providers to commit to a price.
- Madmallard 3y agoDon’t get disabled either! Then you’ll have extreme medical bills you cannot afford that aren’t exempt from being reclaimed via garnishment! So you’ll be stuck with only social security and nothing else to survive on!