3 ms·

Both my kids required a few stitches near their eyes. Did I opt for the $30 suture kit and do it myself? or did I opt for on-demand (there & ready, patients or

Both my kids required a few stitches near their eyes. Did I opt for the $30 suture kit and do it myself? or did I opt for on-demand (there & ready, patients or not) doctor analysis (risks of fractured skull or aggressive infection), sedatives (both wriggled & screamed as I held them still, how much worse without?), experienced threading, and whatever other ideals applied? "Sure you can buy a hamburger for a dollar. But then you'd have to eat it." - local restaurant ad

letstryagain 13y ago
Do you buy $1000 hamburgers?
- ctdonath 13y ago
  Considering the order of magnitude the lead article is generating consternation with, fact is I do buy $10 and $20 hamburgers at times ... and yes, it is worth the difference.
PeterisP 13y ago
Half an hour job for a $200.000/year professional is $50; doubling for overhead is a roughly $100 cost for that service. Doubling it again for profit&stuff is $200 reasonable price. Charging $2000 for a $200 service is the problem here, especially since that is not an informed market price, but an ultimatum set without a market negotiation or possibility for competition. In most countries, including first world countries with medical facilities and doctor training comparable or better than USA, the full price would be $100 or less - disregarding who'd pay that bill (you, insurance or government), that is the full price charged by hospitals for such a service.
- ctdonath 13y ago
  Same service? Remember, your kid. And it's not just the service; you could go to the urgent care clinic instead of the hospital[1] and pay less; you could go to your regular doctor and pay even less; heck, I know people who just keep sutures & glue on hand and just patch the kid up themselves. There's also the matter of demand & supply: are you confident you'll get immediate treatment if needed? that an ER staff is on hand if that small cut suddenly proves itself a skull fracture and whatever unseen complications ensue? I'm not going to argue that the pricing is perfect; I am going to argue that there's a whole lot more behind that price than just overcharging. I've looked both my kids in the eyes while holding them still while being stitched up for one injury or another, thought thru a range of what-ifs, and had no problem paying the bill knowing there was more to it than just a little sewing. When both the doctor and urgent care clinic take one look at the injury and say "not here, she needs a hospital for this" and pass on billable treatment, there's a reason. [1] - seems different cultures have different notions of what the term "hospital" entails. Methinks this confuses the discussion a great deal.

letstryagain 13y ago

Do you buy $1000 hamburgers?

ctdonath 13y ago
Considering the order of magnitude the lead article is generating consternation with, fact is I do buy $10 and $20 hamburgers at times ... and yes, it is worth the difference.

PeterisP 13y ago

Half an hour job for a $200.000/year professional is $50; doubling for overhead is a roughly $100 cost for that service. Doubling it again for profit&stuff is $200 reasonable price. Charging $2000 for a $200 service is the problem here, especially since that is not an informed market price, but an ultimatum set without a market negotiation or possibility for competition. In most countries, including first world countries with medical facilities and doctor training comparable or better than USA, the full price would be $100 or less - disregarding who'd pay that bill (you, insurance or government), that is the full price charged by hospitals for such a service.

ctdonath 13y ago
Same service? Remember, your kid. And it's not just the service; you could go to the urgent care clinic instead of the hospital[1] and pay less; you could go to your regular doctor and pay even less; heck, I know people who just keep sutures & glue on hand and just patch the kid up themselves. There's also the matter of demand & supply: are you confident you'll get immediate treatment if needed? that an ER staff is on hand if that small cut suddenly proves itself a skull fracture and whatever unseen complications ensue? I'm not going to argue that the pricing is perfect; I am going to argue that there's a whole lot more behind that price than just overcharging. I've looked both my kids in the eyes while holding them still while being stitched up for one injury or another, thought thru a range of what-ifs, and had no problem paying the bill knowing there was more to it than just a little sewing. When both the doctor and urgent care clinic take one look at the injury and say "not here, she needs a hospital for this" and pass on billable treatment, there's a reason. [1] - seems different cultures have different notions of what the term "hospital" entails. Methinks this confuses the discussion a great deal.