Why do you always focus on doctors? I am pretty sure you know that there is more to healthcare than a doctor's visit. I think the issue is more with hospitals charging thousands of dollars for a test or $6.00 for a nurse to give you tylenol. What my PCP charges me to tell me I am over weight and need to exercise is pennies compared to what hospitals charge for stuff.
A friend of ours (when we lived in NJ) was hospitalized for an illness for about a week. He had insurance, so the cost to him was no big deal, but he was outraged by the cost. So much so, that he asked for an itemized list of everything he was charged for (including $6.00 for each does of tylenol he was given - which was 4 times a day for 5 days - almost $100 for 20 doses of tylenol). He went over the list and challenged a lot of the inflated costs. When he was done, the bill was less than half of what it was. Now, I know we don't all have the time, or ability to do what he did, but it just goes to show that if you push, even just a little, you can get charges down to a more reasonable rate (at least it did in his case). On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 10:53 PM, Gruss Gott<[email protected]> wrote: > > I figured it out. The Healthcare problem. It's the billable hour. > > See when you buy a normal product, like a TV dinner, it's "value-add": > somebody assembled the meal components and packaged them in a such a > way that is more valuable to you than had you bought all of those > components separately. > > Furthermore, Swanson can charge more for "premium" dinners with > expensive sounding names and make quite a margin while maybe selling > others for cost. When you add it all up, they still make a profit. > > In other words the products are value-add and priced **based on the > value to the customer** > > Lawyers charge based on the billable hour - in other words, the cost > to produce the service. > > In that case the incentives are all different: lawyers aren't incented > to be efficient and the customer generally doesn't really know what > value of the product is. In other words, you either are out of jail > or not. If you're out it seems pretty valuable but you have no idea > is someone could've done it for half price AND you paid the production > value, NOT based on the value to you anyway. > > And THAT is the problem with healthcare pricing. > > Doctors charge you based on the cost of production, not on value. > Therefore there's no transparency, no competition, and everyone thinks > the problem is financier rather than the bloated doctor's office. > > After all, however many people (besides me) do you hear say that we > don't owe doctors a living? or a profit? or those super greedy > doctors making obscene profits? > > BTW, there's scandal in my suburb or a guy who own 10 acres and runs > horses who stink in the middle of neighborhoods. His land is worth a > few mil and he breeds horses to race at the local track. > > He's a doctor. > > And here's little ole me with all my greedy industry profits on my 1/3 acre. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:303357 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
