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> Price shopping hospitals is a very much a thing In the US, sure. Where else? Because it's so expensive that literally one admission can bankrupt you Food is
by hvb2 1y ago
> Price shopping hospitals is a very much a thing
In the US, sure. Where else? Because it's so expensive that literally one admission can bankrupt you
Food is a more fundamental need. It's also available in many more places and easy to compare prices.
Say you need a knee replaced. And one place is 1000$ less expensive, that's where you go? Or do you now read reviews on the doctor etc etc.
When was the last time you read a review on a grocery store? The stakes are very different in cost and outcome
- tptacek 1y agoIt's ironic that you managed to pick a surgery that the US is actually capable of delivering at lower cost than Europe (generally, our procedure costs are integer multiples higher than Europe, because of the doctor cartel). Most Americans getting a knee replacement will "pay" more than Europeans pay (nominally, through their employer-provided health insurance), but price-shopping Americans can significantly outdo Europe by getting that procedure done at a surgical center.
- hvb2 1y agoSure that wasn't the point. Your point was that healthcare (for profit hospitals) and grocery stores are equivalent. You've so far argued that they're not. Unless you also go price shopping for your groceries every time. I don't know of anyone forgoing medical care they needed because of cost. People go deep in debt to pay for it. Most people go to a hospital because they want to get better not because they're looking for a bargain. And finally, the people that get their healthcare through work probably don't have time/will to get quotes because it's not like that's straightforward
- tptacek 1y agoThat was not in fact my point.