Ezra Klein has an exceptionally smart column today about the mistaken belief by many liberals that the problem with the U.S. health care system in general and ObamaCare in particular is that it relies on private insurance companies.
The gist is that the huge inefficiencies in our health care delivery system are caused by the providers themselves, not insurance companies. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and, yes, physician salaries are where all our health care money is being squandered.
This is mandatory reading.
Well said Tom. My father has Wet Macular degeneration. He was taking a shot once a month for treatment with a drug that cost less then $100. He then started getting a shot with a drug that cost close to $1500. It was essentially the same drug made by the same manufacturer. Medicare pays the cost of this shot and the eye doctor gets a percentage of what was paid. My father sees first hand now that each of his doctors are milking the Medicare system. If a test might be usefull but probably not needed he now gets that test because otherwise the doctor is letting money walk out the door. The culture 20 years ago was lets not do unnecessary testing on the patient. Now the culture is lets grab all we can from medicare.
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