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What is the problem with the health care market in America?
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I can't claim to know much about the problem, but as I get older and the reality of having my own plan sets in, I'm more interested and affected by the health care debate in the United States.
I read Steven Brill's 28 page study of the health care marketplace in America, and he seemed to raise a lot of key issues with how we look at health care.
http://livingwithmcl.com/BitterPill.pdf
The first is that the debate has become "who should pay the prices", instead of the more pressing question: "why are the prices so high". His piece looks at why the consumers are so often screwed when it comes time to pay health related bills.
Because the market is not free, in that you have to pay the steep prices because health care is literally life or death, and consumers have little knowledge beyond what their doctors tell them, the hospitals and pharmaceutical companies bask in enormous profits.
I guess it's a case of profitability (in what claims to be a non-profit sector) driving up out of pocket expenses that disproportionately affect the poor and middle class, and those not covered by medicare.
He also argues that while Obamacare does a good thing of including more people in the market, it doesn't come close to solving the problem of the actual costs, and may even exacerbate this problem.
Other countries have implemented price controls and other measures to curb the problem and have higher rated health care at a lower cost than the United States.
So it seems that this is inherently not a free market, and free market solutions that so many are calling for would do little to offset the problem.
Again, I'm hardly an expert. I tried but probably didn't do justice in summarizing his comprehensive findings. Worth a read. Curious what the people with REAL WORLD experience think.
I read Steven Brill's 28 page study of the health care marketplace in America, and he seemed to raise a lot of key issues with how we look at health care.
http://livingwithmcl.com/BitterPill.pdf
The first is that the debate has become "who should pay the prices", instead of the more pressing question: "why are the prices so high". His piece looks at why the consumers are so often screwed when it comes time to pay health related bills.
Because the market is not free, in that you have to pay the steep prices because health care is literally life or death, and consumers have little knowledge beyond what their doctors tell them, the hospitals and pharmaceutical companies bask in enormous profits.
I guess it's a case of profitability (in what claims to be a non-profit sector) driving up out of pocket expenses that disproportionately affect the poor and middle class, and those not covered by medicare.
He also argues that while Obamacare does a good thing of including more people in the market, it doesn't come close to solving the problem of the actual costs, and may even exacerbate this problem.
Other countries have implemented price controls and other measures to curb the problem and have higher rated health care at a lower cost than the United States.
So it seems that this is inherently not a free market, and free market solutions that so many are calling for would do little to offset the problem.
Again, I'm hardly an expert. I tried but probably didn't do justice in summarizing his comprehensive findings. Worth a read. Curious what the people with REAL WORLD experience think.
Comments
Lather, rinse, repeat
You're right, if you think that continuing to manipulate the system will work, you don't know much.
THE DRUG COMPANIES LOVE GOVERNMENT CONTROL YOU IDIOT! FREE UP THE MARKET!
HTH.
I hear you like checkers.
Well that's a first.
Most Hospitals lose Money. That's why they have foundations. And the poster who says that our costly, low efficiency heathcare system is that way due to the pharma co's and insurance companies is correct.
And Obamacare does absolutely NOTHING to address those issues.
The fact that health insurance can't be sold across state lines limits competition. Also health insurance companies can choose to and do choose to offer rates that double their reserves over what is both mandated and what is constituted to be a financially healthy company. A few years back BlueCross was found to have almost 4 times the reserves than what was required by the state here in Orygun.
Healthcare and drugs are the biggest rackets there is in regards to pay-offs and corruption.
"So it seems that this is inherently not a free market, and free market solutions that so many are calling for would do little to offset the problem."
You took the position the free market didn't hold the solution. You took a position. If you would have said "the article concludes.." But you didn't. Your bias shows even when you try to hide it.
Check mate mother fucker.
Did you miss the disclaimer at the end?
You've turned petty. It's sad, really.
I voted for Mitt and would have voted for McCain.
No one can present an article without it being some kind of an agenda, even when that article is well thought out and worthy of discussion?
Maybe there is a free market solution? That's why I started the thread. I said I know little about the topic.
You are slipping oh so far.
Do you even try?
articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/02/business/fi-hospitals2 And it's getting worse.
Do you even try?