Quote:
Originally Posted by SaintMalaclypse
You're assuming that the whole problem with healthcare is that doctor's simply charge too much.
You're not explaining how you'd eliminate malpractice awards, malpractice insurance costs, and malpractice legal expenses.
You're not explaining how you'd eliminate ALL the government influence that's preventing Medicine from being a free, competitive market. (i.e Medicare, Medicaid, assorted Laws, Regs, Codes, Ordinances, etc. that impact Insurance costs, medical costs or both)
Once you eliminate those kinds of factors, then you might be able to hope for a competitive, demand-driven market amongst the healthcare providers. How many Hospitals can your neighborhood support? If it can't support more than one, then there's no competition in your are, and prices will remain high. I'm sure EVERY neighborhood has enough Doctors, though, so you might actually see competition there. Or else mutual price-fixing. Depends on whether Doctors are in it for the money or the desire to provide quality, affordable service. Heh heh. I almost said it with a straight face...
Healthcare prices can't be manipulated by supply and demand the way a grocery store, a lawn service, or a prostitute can. When the Government is one of your biggest customers (medicare/medicaid) AND one of your biggest policymakers, it's not the same as dealing with a free market.
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How many people covered by VA, Medicare, or Medicaid bebefits sue their doctors for malpractice?
How many people sue because requested care was denied by the insurance company, which results in a small tumor becoming a massive one, which causes the loss of employment, which results in loss of insurance, which means going on welfare and Medicare, because the cost of paying for treatment out pocket forces declaring bankruptcy?
If the insurance program can't get rid of a customer because they become too expensive to care for, then the insurance program has no reason to deny cheap treatment when it will end up paying for the expensive treatment later.
And if the patient gets the best care, and the patient knows that the doctor did everything possible, instead of not doing things because the insurance company told him not to, then the patient or family has less incentive to sue anyone.
If the patient thinks the insurance company screwed him over, who is he going to sue when the insurance company is protected against lawsuits? Simple, sue the doctor, the agent of the insurance company, who is insured by the insurance company, and who pays for the malpractice insurance by billing at higher rates to the insurance company. So, the patient isn't suing the doctor, he's suing the insurance company that he fronts for.