3 ms·

This. We need to focus on why the costs are so high, not how to pay for such high costs. I shouldn't NEED insurance. It should be an option if I'd like to sp

This. We need to focus on why the costs are so high, not how to pay for such high costs. I shouldn't NEED insurance. It should be an option if I'd like to spread out financial risk.

snowwrestler 13y ago
The costs are so high because certain treatments are expensive; they are expensive because it took very large investments to create them; and it took such large investments because it's extremely difficult to treat many diseases and injuries. I'm in total agreement that standard, "old" services like a physical or strep test or penicillin should be paid out of pocket and subject to market forces, just like food and clothing are (two other "life-critical" industries). But it's a very big step from there to not needing health insurance at all. If you get hit by a car doing 30mph and survive, there is no getting around the fact that your treatment is going to be very expensive. IMO that exactly what insurance should be for.
- joshontheweb 13y ago
  Perhaps in some cases. But $90 for a bag of saline seems to signify a pretty broken pricing model.
- nickpinkston 13y ago
  Most things you're talking about are either end-of-life care type of stuff like cancer, or something rare like Cystic Fibrosis. - Typical procedures used for common infections, broken bones, etc. don't require anything much that wasn't around 50 years ago. - You might say: CT scanners, MRIs, etc, but the reason these are expensive is market structure (i.e. someone will pay for it...), not a fundamental engineering reason - i.e. the MRI isn't required to be made form gold. Also note that this is one of the few (only?) industries where the same device w/ same features increases in price over time - because of monopolistic shit from patents, FDA barriers, etc.
nickpinkston 13y ago
For sure - this is my problem with Obamacare. It's reinforcing the cost structure, not trying to change it.

This. We need to focus on why the costs are so high, not how to pay for such high costs. I shouldn't NEED insurance. It should be an option if I'd like to spread out financial risk.

snowwrestler 13y ago

The costs are so high because certain treatments are expensive; they are expensive because it took very large investments to create them; and it took such large investments because it's extremely difficult to treat many diseases and injuries. I'm in total agreement that standard, "old" services like a physical or strep test or penicillin should be paid out of pocket and subject to market forces, just like food and clothing are (two other "life-critical" industries). But it's a very big step from there to not needing health insurance at all. If you get hit by a car doing 30mph and survive, there is no getting around the fact that your treatment is going to be very expensive. IMO that exactly what insurance should be for.

joshontheweb 13y ago
Perhaps in some cases. But $90 for a bag of saline seems to signify a pretty broken pricing model.
nickpinkston 13y ago
Most things you're talking about are either end-of-life care type of stuff like cancer, or something rare like Cystic Fibrosis. - Typical procedures used for common infections, broken bones, etc. don't require anything much that wasn't around 50 years ago. - You might say: CT scanners, MRIs, etc, but the reason these are expensive is market structure (i.e. someone will pay for it...), not a fundamental engineering reason - i.e. the MRI isn't required to be made form gold. Also note that this is one of the few (only?) industries where the same device w/ same features increases in price over time - because of monopolistic shit from patents, FDA barriers, etc.

nickpinkston 13y ago

For sure - this is my problem with Obamacare. It's reinforcing the cost structure, not trying to change it.