Stupid Things Said At The Democratic Debate

[Belsnickel]

(07-03-2019, 02:56 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: That would help with the cost of pharmaceuticals and medical devices such as hip joints, but not much else.

Take my shoulder surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff. After insurance, my portion was over $2000 for the surgery and over $2000 for the doctor to do the surgery. What you suggest wouldn't reduce the greatest portion of my bill at all.

The really cool thing was the MRI was wrong (or the interpretation of the MRI was wrong, rather) and nothing was torn and I didn't need the labrum or rotator cuff repaired.

The total was obviously more than than $4000 because that doesn't include the anesthesiologist's fees or the price of the anesthesia meds. Or any of the office visits before and after or the physical therapy visits or the adjuvant PT therapies like iontophotesis.

What goes into the costs for something like that? The equipment used, the devices and medicines, but also the licensing costs, education costs, liability costs, etc., etc., etc. There are so many factors not just in direct costs, but in overhead and other things that make up the labor costs involved. I'd have to really see a good analysis on the costs to suggest policies and this isn't something I have researched a ton, just some surface level things. This is, of course, not taking into account the need for hospitals to build in a buffer with their costs to help offset the uncollectable amounts from patients lacking insurance.