Originally Posted by
limitles
You can't be serious. The reason for higher costs are already known. Doctors/hospitals can more or less charge what the market will allow. There are no real controls. You already have free a market system but because they are not selling Ho Ho's the number of providers is limited. This takes away the benefits of free market competition.
Les, stick to talking about Canadian politics.
You have no idea how the US system works. The bolded part is the exact opposite of what is the truth.
Insurance companies tell doctors what they can charge. If doctors want to accept insurance (which almost all of them have to if they want to remain in business), they have to charge those exact rates -- not more, not less.
So Dr. John Smith, who graduated in the top of his class from Harvard Medical School, and is extremely well-liked and sought-after by patients, has to charge the exact same price for the same service as Dr. Kevin Jones, who couldn't get into US medical school, went to some crap place in the Caribbean, is rated 1/10 on most review sites, and constantly battles malpractice suits. And that price is high in both cases.
How does a doctor make more money in the US? Rush through as many patients as possible, and push for expensive tests/procedures/exams to be done on site, even if unnecessary. And hire a good biller to engage in as many sneaky billing practices as possible, to where as many "procedure codes" are entered as possible, and the most expensive possible way to bill is always utilized.
The whole thing is a fiasco.