On Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:03:25 -0500, "Carey Fisher" said:

> Demand is way up; someone else (employer, insurance co and govt) is
> paying
> for it so demand has gone through the roof.  THAT is the cause of high
> medical costs.  Common sense to me...

That logic has big holes in it.

Medical care is expensive at retail, ie: when I go to the hospital and
pay cash.

It costs the insurance companies, medicare, etc 70 percent less, because
they get discounts.

Notice what I said. If I pay cash, it costs more. The insurance
companies push the cost(to themselves) DOWN.

I don't know many people who can go to the doctor for free, even with
"good" insurance there seems to always be a co-pay of some sort. That
blows your argument completely out of the water because it keeps demand
low, and the insurance companies are happy.

Medical care was cheaper 50 years ago. Is that such a surprise? You
couldn't get a CT scan back then, either.

A flu shot is cheap because it's a flu shot. Brain surgery is expensive
because it's... brain surgery.

The $10 Tylenol? That is retail, if you paid cash to the hospital. No
way does the insurance company pay that. But you don't see those
receipts. And it always costs more to buy something that is served to
you. It costs $10 for a bottle of mineral water at a restaurant, too.

Insurance companies are not stupid, and they have clout. They don't pay
any more than they have to, they negotiate hard, hard, hard. And they
make a profit year after year.

Cheerful regards,

Bob

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