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United Healthcare had a 6% profit margin last year. They spend something like 85% of revenue on medical care. Health insurance is one of the most regulated indu

United Healthcare had a 6% profit margin last year. They spend something like 85% of revenue on medical care. Health insurance is one of the most regulated industries in the country. What is your proposed change to fix healthcare in the US? A lot of people's understanding of the American health insurance system is closer to one of the "lunatic ones".

harimau777 2y ago
I can think of two potential solutions: Single payer healthcare. At least governments are (at least somewhat) accountable to the people. Progressive wealth taxes. It's possible that the only solution is for CEOs to be accountable to the general public. Currently, their wealth insulates them from normal methods of holding them accountable (e.g. loss of social standing, stores refusing to do business with them, etc.) so people turn to methods like shooting them. Perhaps if taxation made them more accountable then people would have other methods available.
- Manuel_D 2y ago
  How does single payer healthcare solve problems? You point out that this means people can blame the government for poor quality service, but you don't actually explain how this will improve service. The murdered United Healthcare CEO wasn't even all that wealthy. IIRC he had something like 20 million. Way more than the average American, sure, but not even wealthy enough to be impacted by the wealth taxes proposed by Bernie Sanders. Compared to the likes of Musk or Thiel, his wealth was nothing.
  - rickydroll 2y ago
    Most research into the outcomes of single-payer healthcare universal coverage systems shows that they deliver better patient outcomes for less money. I don't know how they give better service, and I'm not familiar with the oversight mechanisms, but the documented results are that they do. Wealth taxes are controversial. I suspect they should be based on a combination of aggregate wealth and financial transaction taxes. IMO, $20 million should have been enough to trigger a wealth tax.
nothercastle 2y ago
I think there is probably a lot of claim denial and bullshit rolled up into the 85% number. You make it seem like they are an efficient distributor of healthcare where which they are not. Every provider hates them because they create a ridiculous amount of Paperwork overhead and cost to the entire system. They are the healthcare equivalent of DOGE.
- Manuel_D 2y ago
  People have contradictory expectations of healthcare. They want it to be more efficient and avoid waste, but when the healthcare company institutes systems of accountability people complain about paperwork. What's your silver bullet to make healthcare better? The companies are already spending almost all their revenue on healthcare, there is very little profit anyway.
  - dns_snek 2y ago
    > The companies are already spending almost all their revenue on healthcare, there is very little profit anyway. It would be more accurate to say that insurance companies are paying most of their revenue to healthcare providers (many of which are owned by the same people who own insurance companies), who are known to charge obscene amounts of money for services that cost a fraction of the cost elsewhere in the world. Looking at the financial reports of insurance companies in isolation is insufficient when they're part of a much larger corrupt system.
  - nothercastle 2y ago
    Honestly the Keiser Permanente insurer/provider hmo model is pretty decent. There isn’t a lot of profit in it but it does a decent job rationing out care in appropriate and ethical ways.

harimau777 2y ago

I can think of two potential solutions: Single payer healthcare. At least governments are (at least somewhat) accountable to the people. Progressive wealth taxes. It's possible that the only solution is for CEOs to be accountable to the general public. Currently, their wealth insulates them from normal methods of holding them accountable (e.g. loss of social standing, stores refusing to do business with them, etc.) so people turn to methods like shooting them. Perhaps if taxation made them more accountable then people would have other methods available.

Manuel_D 2y ago
How does single payer healthcare solve problems? You point out that this means people can blame the government for poor quality service, but you don't actually explain how this will improve service. The murdered United Healthcare CEO wasn't even all that wealthy. IIRC he had something like 20 million. Way more than the average American, sure, but not even wealthy enough to be impacted by the wealth taxes proposed by Bernie Sanders. Compared to the likes of Musk or Thiel, his wealth was nothing.
- rickydroll 2y ago
  Most research into the outcomes of single-payer healthcare universal coverage systems shows that they deliver better patient outcomes for less money. I don't know how they give better service, and I'm not familiar with the oversight mechanisms, but the documented results are that they do. Wealth taxes are controversial. I suspect they should be based on a combination of aggregate wealth and financial transaction taxes. IMO, $20 million should have been enough to trigger a wealth tax.

nothercastle 2y ago

I think there is probably a lot of claim denial and bullshit rolled up into the 85% number. You make it seem like they are an efficient distributor of healthcare where which they are not. Every provider hates them because they create a ridiculous amount of Paperwork overhead and cost to the entire system. They are the healthcare equivalent of DOGE.

Manuel_D 2y ago
People have contradictory expectations of healthcare. They want it to be more efficient and avoid waste, but when the healthcare company institutes systems of accountability people complain about paperwork. What's your silver bullet to make healthcare better? The companies are already spending almost all their revenue on healthcare, there is very little profit anyway.
- dns_snek 2y ago
  > The companies are already spending almost all their revenue on healthcare, there is very little profit anyway. It would be more accurate to say that insurance companies are paying most of their revenue to healthcare providers (many of which are owned by the same people who own insurance companies), who are known to charge obscene amounts of money for services that cost a fraction of the cost elsewhere in the world. Looking at the financial reports of insurance companies in isolation is insufficient when they're part of a much larger corrupt system.
- nothercastle 2y ago
  Honestly the Keiser Permanente insurer/provider hmo model is pretty decent. There isn’t a lot of profit in it but it does a decent job rationing out care in appropriate and ethical ways.