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Forum Post: How the Healthcare Industry Rips You Off

Posted 11 years ago on April 27, 2012, 7:38 a.m. EST by GirlFriday (17435)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

The price of appendectomy ranged from as little as $1,529 to as much as $182,955 depending on where it was performed, according to results published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. These results came after the researchers focused their data on 18- to 59-year-olds whose hospitalization lasted fewer than four days, to make sure they culled out any complications.

....“Price shopping is improbable, if not impossible, because the services are complex, urgently needed, and no definitive diagnosis has yet been made,” the authors conclude. “In our study, even if patients did have the luxury of time and clinical knowledge to shop around,’ we found that California hospitals charge patients inconsistently for what should be similar services as defined by our relatively strict definition of uncomplicated appendicitis.”

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33 Comments

33 Comments


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[-] 3 points by ClearTarget (216) 11 years ago

A here is why "for profit" does not belong in the healthcare industry. This sector would be far more cost effective under the government. The nasty truth that republicons don't want to hear.

[-] 3 points by krmlei (103) from New York, NY 11 years ago

Go to a country like India you find that a doctor's visit costs little more than a dollar and medicines are dirt cheap. The market determines the price and there is no such thing as health insurance.

Healthcare is one of the most cost inefficient problems that the US faces:

  • Medicare and Medicaid are wasted on over bloated pharmaceutical costs and high priced doctors,
  • corporations don't want to hire people because they would have to provide expensive health benefits,
  • money just goes down the drain while other countries have better research and research not financed by corporate interests.

The idea of public health care is that it will drive down prices because it will force fair competition (with the government) and therefore ends up saving the government money in the long run

[-] 1 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 11 years ago

Exactly why profits must be addressed. Who is making the profit and how much of a profit - how does the operation look in comparison - is it neat organized, efficient, provide good service, deny anyone help, well staffed - is all of the staff well paid (living wage).

[-] 3 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 11 years ago

Again another industry ( yep industry ) that is being bled white by the greedy profit seekers who can not and will not ever be getting enough to satisfy their hunger.

[-] 1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

Yep.

[-] 2 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 11 years ago

Greed and Corruption it is so pervasive. You can not flip a rock over with out finding something nasty crawling out from underneath.

Well I knew fully well going in that this was going to be an epic battle.

[-] 2 points by PandoraK (1678) 11 years ago

I could point out that most pharmaceutical companies are not US companies, that pharmaceuticals are often used for a far wider range of illness than the initial intent, that often these pharmaceuticals have little to no effect on the illness it is prescribed for often not even the initial intent.

But I won't.

I could point out that profit is the entire point of being in business.

But I won't.

I could point out that there are currently fewer community hospitals than previous and often those lost community hospitals have been turned to private hospitals, leaving little recourse for local citizens.

But I won't.

The hell I won't.

[-] 2 points by Nevada1 (5843) 11 years ago

Hi GirlFriday,

Thank you for post. The way the US medical/insurance corporate complex functions, is a crime. It not only rips off, but controls also. Have you seen the movie Repo Men? If pricing was fair, many of us would not need insurance.

Best Regards

[-] 1 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

Thanks, Nevada. You rock!

[-] 1 points by Misaki (893) 11 years ago

What a coincidence, I used the same study in writing this suggestion on letting people know the average price of health care at a hospital based on their diagnosis: http://jobcreationplan.blogspot.com/2012/05/controlling-health-care-costs-in-united.html

This would let someone make a decision about price BEFORE talking to a doctor (who often will not know prices) or even before getting sick, for example if one community has cheaper health care than another. It would also "reward" hospitals for avoiding unnecessary procedures or costs that a household would have difficulty paying for.

[-] 1 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

Any breakdown of which hospitals have a fast food court?

[-] 3 points by hchc (3297) from Tampa, FL 11 years ago

Tampa General does. A freakin McDonalds right at the entrance. Disgusting. I guess they can go straight from eating the heartattack to getting treated for it.

[-] 2 points by shoozTroll (17632) 11 years ago

Yes, but the investors are so much the richer for it.

Plus it's a great ROI for the illness industry.

[-] -1 points by Adulttime (-5) 11 years ago

They "rip you off" because no one gives a fuck about the cost. Why? Because WE'RE USE INSURANCE COMPANY AND GOVERNMENT MONEY. Running everything through insurance has caused people not to give a shit about costs. We don't? Sandra Fluke was the last sad case demanding the even $6/month birth control be flushed through the someone else pays model. Liberals in tears lined up, again, in support. Anytime people don't know or care about costs, it's inflationary.

[-] -2 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

Our costs are so inflated because of the hidden costs that are tacked on to every bill. From the insurance providers cut, the doctors themselves, to the costs associated with patented drugs and instruments to malpractice insurance to covering losses incurred from uninsured patients and so on, it has become a vicious cycle. It is unsustainable and there are not any simple answers. Single payer cuts out the insurance an uninsured costs, but all of the other expenses remain. The US medical community, as a whole, is at the forefront in development of drugs and treatments and fund a great deal of research around the world. You could almost say that, as a nation, we are paying our "fair share" with higher health care costs to benefit the rest of the world. As the wealthiest nation, do we not have an obligation to help everyone else where we can? Just as so many want the rich to pay more of their "fair share", the same should be expected of everyone in the richest nation on the planet. We pay more for health care to benefit the world because we can afford to. If we were to go to a Canadian or British style single payer system, many of the innovations that our capitalist-like system creates would end and the world would be worse off for it.

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

Bullshit.

Most people in the US cannot get health care. We live in the land of Medicaid divorce.

[-] -3 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

What a well thought out, pointed and researched response. The truth hurts, I understand that. Many times, when faced with facts we do not like, we tend to respond in a childish, irrational manner as exhibited in your response.

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

You don't deserve much more than what I have given you.

[-] -3 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

Because you cannot argue what I posted and your most common responses are curse laced nonsense. I would not have expected anything more from you; and you didn't let me down.

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

Because I have laid it out many times prior. You were doing ok until you hit here: You could almost say that, as a nation, we are paying our "fair share" with higher health care costs to benefit the rest of the world.

Then you went to shit and you really have not demonstrated that you have the capacity to think critically. You aren't worth the time. Go play with your scripted threads.

[-] -3 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

So, you do not like having OWS talking points thrown back at you? If it is deemed a worthy cause to demand that the wealthy pay their "fair share" when it comes to funding America, then why isn't it just as worthy to ask that the wealthiest nation on the planet pay its "fair share" to ensure medical development continues to progress for the rest of the world?

And thanks for continuing to add curse words and personal insults, your childish ways never cease to make me smile at your ignorant innocence.

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

You keep seeing yourself as worthy of a debate. You aren't. You aren't qualified. I am not obligated to educate you. We have been over this repeatedly on this site. You can go back through the prior threads.

If you are adult enough that you can come in with multiple IDs and work for a PR firm then you can handle cuss words. If you cannot then you may need to restrict your postings to an ultra conservative site that is more up your alley.

[-] -2 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

You do not debate and you do not present facts, you simply curse, throw out accusations and wild claims and insult in an attempt to make yourself feel superior. You know nothing about me, but you make your crazy lefty accusations, as always, in a pathetic attempt to make you feel like you are somehow relevant, but you really aren't. You come on this board and spout off nonsense, insult people, declare yourself the winner, then run away. Funny, sad, pathetic and no longer worthy of my time. Good day.

[-] 3 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

I did the debating in the prior threads. Now, you may go fuck yourself.

And have a blessed day.

[-] -1 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

I said "good day".

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

Fuck you.

[-] -3 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

Good day.

[-] 2 points by GirlFriday (17435) 11 years ago

[-] 0 points by GirlFriday (4220) 6 minutes ago Fuck you. ↥like ↧dislike reply edit delete permalink

[-] 2 points by PandoraK (1678) 11 years ago

There's a sitcom in Britain that may have something for you dear...it's called Mrs. Brown's Boys...she states that at one time her husband paid for her to have elocution lessons...and that she used to say, "Fuck off" now she says..."That's nice".

Elocution lessons eh?

[-] -3 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

I said "good day".

[-] 1 points by FriendlyObserverB (1871) 11 years ago

Simple answer : cap on sales profits.

"It is unsustainable and there are not any simple answers."

[-] -3 points by TheMisfit (48) 11 years ago

That addresses so little of the total problem. Drug development costs are spread out in the price of the drugs during the patented time as are the costs of instruments since the patents are for a limited time and to be able to recoup the cost of development while still earning enough to continue to develop new drugs, procedures and instruments must be factored in. Malpractice insurance is extremely expensive due to the cost of settling lawsuits rather than letting them get to court and for every person who skips out on their medical, someone else will end up paying (you and I). "Sales profit" has little to do with the cost of health care in America.

[-] 1 points by FriendlyObserverB (1871) 11 years ago

"many of the innovations that our capitalist-like system creates would end and the world would be worse off for it."

A cap on profits does not remove the driving force of greed.