Healthcare isn't a business, it's peoples lives

[Viper1]

vlad321 said:

Viper1 said:

vlad321 said:
The biggest problem in the US is that people want to make money out of caring. I understand the doctors and drug makers to cover costs and such, but some drugs are ridiculously expensive, or equipment, or whatever. Then you have the insurance companies trying to milk you for as much as possible. If you have some problem, and you aren't getting healthcare from work then you will be stuck paying ridiculous amounts of money, which most people won't be able to afford.

If you have people trying to get more money out of patients, then the system is broken and ineffective and outright retarded. And does not capitalism basically say that you must make as much money as possible out of whatever you do? Adding 2 and 2, you get that a healthcare based on capitalism just does not fucking work.

Actually, our system isn't very capitalistic because there is no competition.  Despite mutiple insurance carriers, multiple hospital operators, multiple drug manufacturers....it's still limited in the way it's provided because costs are inflated artificially high. 

 

It's basically nullified the free market ability of the health care sector.    If it WERE free market capitalism then costs would be down dramatically.

 

 

 

The way I see it, the first step is at the drug and equipment manufacturers. They start seeling their drugs for ridiculous amounts over wht it costs to produce them, even with enough profit to cover development. Then you have thehospitals and doctor sector which throws on top even more crap, even though they could probably do things more cheaply and still operate at some benefit, ESPECIALLY if the suppliers lowered their costs. They still need to make money and even if they wanted to there is a floor because of the suppliers. They however, still aim to make money so they do inflate the cost more.

Then on top of that you have the insurance companies and the same happens with them.

From what I understand there isn't that much competition on the drug/equipment level, and if there is then they are not too bothered to lower costs given how it's already nice and high. Ultimately it comes down to the fact that they are businesses, and the goal of a business is to make more money when it should be healthcare first, then profit.

No doubt but but this is why it just needs reforming.   Federal policy has also caused a lot of the high prices and limited to no competition options.

Going to a universal healtcare won't change the actual costs.  They'll just be passed on to all tax payers directly.   The better idea is to get it back to free market capitalism and the whole pricing structure will fall back into acceptable levels.