2 ms·

> I have no option except to make premiums higher for all of you because I want my wife to have a breast pump. > There is no other way to fix any of this nonsen

> I have no option except to make premiums higher for all of you because I want my wife to have a breast pump. > There is no other way to fix any of this nonsense except to socialize healthcare completely. No offense, but you also had the option to just buy a breast pump for $50. That option would have the cost of the goods just between the entity selling the pump and you. No one else need be involved, no one else needs to share in paying for your transaction. But…you got to save $50.

sundaeofshock 2y ago
He pays insurance premiums to get health care. Why should he pay out of pocket for health care that is covered? This does not change the point that the insurance company, physician, and medical device company are all complicit in a scam that jacks up the cost of healthcare for everyone.
- kcplate 2y ago
  > This does not change the point that the insurance company, physician, and medical device company are all complicit in a scam that jacks up the cost of healthcare for everyone. You should probably describe how that works exactly…cause I don’t see collusion here. - Insurance companies negotiate almost all of their costs upfront…they don’t want to pay more. It’s not in their best interest, there job is to not spend more than $.01 more than they have to on anything they do So if they are actually paying $300 for a $50 item, it’s because it’s probably costs an additional $250.01 for them to somehow fulfill that $50 item to you through another provider. - The doctor generally (beyond occasional pharma dinners) has no kickback for prescribing any device or drug from the sale of that product. - The pharma company or device manufacturer certainly wants to maximize their revenue, but will they try and soak the folks prescribing and paying? Probably not for long.
spyckie2 2y ago
Respectfully, I paid for my health insurance so I probably overpaid for the breast pump, all things considering. Game theory wise, I’m forced to pay money to then be given the “choice” between spending 50$ or spending 0$ for the exact same outcome. Even if I was a values driven person and chose the 50$ option out of principles, the system is designed so that everyone would choose the 0$ option. So it is a choice, in the sense that I could choose to give you the 50$ instead. But there is no logical reason to take that option.
- kcplate 2y ago
  Yes, you are paying your premium and you should take advantage of what that provides you, so it’s the obvious choice. I would have made the same choice too. The deeper philosophical question here is not insurance paid vs socialized medicine…it’s why are we making a $50 breast pump a medical benefit at all? Even under a socialized healthcare system if we are going to wrap a bureaucracy around an inexpensive anything …costs will inflate.

sundaeofshock 2y ago

He pays insurance premiums to get health care. Why should he pay out of pocket for health care that is covered? This does not change the point that the insurance company, physician, and medical device company are all complicit in a scam that jacks up the cost of healthcare for everyone.

kcplate 2y ago
> This does not change the point that the insurance company, physician, and medical device company are all complicit in a scam that jacks up the cost of healthcare for everyone. You should probably describe how that works exactly…cause I don’t see collusion here. - Insurance companies negotiate almost all of their costs upfront…they don’t want to pay more. It’s not in their best interest, there job is to not spend more than $.01 more than they have to on anything they do So if they are actually paying $300 for a $50 item, it’s because it’s probably costs an additional $250.01 for them to somehow fulfill that $50 item to you through another provider. - The doctor generally (beyond occasional pharma dinners) has no kickback for prescribing any device or drug from the sale of that product. - The pharma company or device manufacturer certainly wants to maximize their revenue, but will they try and soak the folks prescribing and paying? Probably not for long.

spyckie2 2y ago

Respectfully, I paid for my health insurance so I probably overpaid for the breast pump, all things considering. Game theory wise, I’m forced to pay money to then be given the “choice” between spending 50$ or spending 0$ for the exact same outcome. Even if I was a values driven person and chose the 50$ option out of principles, the system is designed so that everyone would choose the 0$ option. So it is a choice, in the sense that I could choose to give you the 50$ instead. But there is no logical reason to take that option.

kcplate 2y ago
Yes, you are paying your premium and you should take advantage of what that provides you, so it’s the obvious choice. I would have made the same choice too. The deeper philosophical question here is not insurance paid vs socialized medicine…it’s why are we making a $50 breast pump a medical benefit at all? Even under a socialized healthcare system if we are going to wrap a bureaucracy around an inexpensive anything …costs will inflate.