3 ms·

I doubt it's much different in other more social health care systems. Some people just need a whole lot more aids and meds than most people. Take wheelchairs f

• FredPret 2y ago
  Some wheelchairs are custom-fitted
• cqqxo4zV46cp 2y ago
  Yeah, the US difference is in the absolute costs!
• miki123211 2y ago
  > Because reasons The "reasons" are mostly unit economics, with a bit of regulatory capture thrown into the mix. There are two kinds of costs that go into a product, the costs you have to pay upfront, like factory construction, and the costs you pay per unit, like materials and shipping. Even if those are the same for wheelchairs and bicycles, you make far fewer wheelchairs than you make bicycles, so you have far fewer units to spread the upfront costs over. The per-unit costs are never actually the same, as ordering parts in larger volumes is usually cheaper. Then there's the "regulatory capture" part, you need far fewer permits and far less government paperwork to open up a bicycle company than to open up a wheelchair company, especially if you want to work with insurers and/or national healthcare systems. This means that a bicycle company racking up margins would be quickly outcompeted by others, while overbroad government regulations favor those shenanigans in the healthcare industry.
  • techjamie 2y ago
    It's probably roughly the same as how hospital bills work. Drug maker says they want $25,000 for this drug. Insurance company says they'll only pay 5,000. Drug company takes $5,000 for the drug and writes the other $20,000 off as a loss so they don't pay taxes.