One massive graphic to explain why U.S. Healthcare costs so much.

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And no, it’s not because we’re overweight.

3 thoughts on “One massive graphic to explain why U.S. Healthcare costs so much.”

  1. Mike Conway

    And why do providers charge what they do because “they can?” Because most of the time, they go thru insurance companies, who just pay out. Since they get paid from the insurance companies no matter what they do or how well they do it, they charge those high rates.

    If they had to rely on getting paid directly from the consumer, they’d have to work harder to earn their pay (ie, correct diagnosis, only necessary surgeries and drugs, etc) , and charge less, or risk losing patients to more competent (and cheaper) doctors.

  2. It’s a common proposal, to let the free market drive down costs, but it won’t work. Patients aren’t consumers. When someone is having a heart attack, they don’t comparison shop. When a kid injures his head, his parents will do anything to save him. Anything. You think that’s a recipe for lower prices?

    The truth is that insurance companies already pay doctors less than “consumers” do. When I was sans insurance, the doctors and PT offices charged twice what they charged the insurance companies, because insurers are in a better negotiating position.

    Besides, most patients don’t know how to assess their doctors; typically, they rate their doctors according to how nice they are and how well they listen.

    As for “only necessary surgeries and drugs” it’s a nice idea, but the GOP has been fighting comparative effectiveness studies tooth and nail. The first thing we should be doing to reduce hc cost is learn what doesn’t work, but politics has taken that off the table.

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