[ExI] Health system, again

[Kevin Freels]

>
> I'm in general agreement with this piece today in the NYT by Paul Krugman:
>
>
> Elizabeth Edwards has cancer. John McCain has had 
> cancer in the past. Last weekend, Mrs. Edwards 
> bluntly pointed out that neither of them would be 
> able to get insurance under Mr. McCain's health care plan.
>
>   
Personally I think that the concept of health insurance is what has 
caused the skyrocketing costs in the first place. People no longer saw 
nor cared what they were being charged because someone else was paying 
the bill so the market forces controlling costs were removed. It's the 
cost of BS we all pay.

For example - four years ago I took my 9 yr old daughter to the ER at 3 
am because she had a nosebleed that started at 9pm and hadn't stopped. 
We waited 3 hours, then saw a Dr for 10 minutes who crammed what looked 
like a small tampon up her nose and sent her home. My cost was $75 for 
the ER visit. When I later looked up the detailed billing out of 
curiosity, I saw that the Dr charge was $440 for the 15 minutes and the 
"tampon" cost $1200! Plus there was another $300 worth of supplies and 
such. I called and asked the hospital about this obvious error and they 
said that yes, the bill was correct, the "medical device" they put in 
her nose was "medicated". I was supposed to return in 3 days to have it 
removed which would have been a $25 co-pay office visit ($120 in 
insurance), but just to spite the system, I pulled the thing out myself 
with no trouble at all and the bleeding was obviously gone.

I have no idea why nobody wants to address this issue. If Drs are in 
such short supply, maybe allowing more into medical school or  allowing  
practicing nurses to  do more would be in order and help to drive some 
of these costs down. I think that the free market isn;t working because 
the market is not free.
 


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