12-04-2015, 09:12 PM
(12-04-2015, 08:08 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: What's 5% of a billion dollars? A shit load. That's the BS the insurance tell you, we only make a pitiful 4% profit. They aren't hurting for money. There are not-for-profit insurance companies sitting on piles of money which far exceed their liability if all their customers turned in a claim simultaneously. Insurance companies aren't the sole reason for increased costs, but they are a significant reason. Pharmaceutical companies are responsible for serious price gouging in the US for the same medications which sell for significantly less in other countries. A capitalism model you defend. All of this is capitalism. You can't defend capitalism on one hand then complain about the cost of capitalism.
What's a billion dollars spread over 300M people? Not even enough for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. That's the problem when this debate is always framed in dollars instead of the relevant metrics. Healthcare is a $2T+ industry in the US alone - the 5% margin to health insurers is peanuts relative to the total cost.
5% off your bill. That's what insurance is taking from you. You get rid of that, and maybe some additional savings on administrative costs....you get maybe a one-time decrease of 10%, and then costs will resume their upward trajectory - incrementally cost increases would be 5% lower (so 5.7% instead 6% or whatever).
I don't begrudge what doctors and surgeons make - they made a huge investment in themselves. The fat margins are mainly in pharma and equipment. The US subsidizes global healthcare. That's the other big part of it.
