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A comment on Insurance companies aren't the main villain of the U.S. health system.

Re:Insurance companies aren't the main villain of the U.S. h... by paulpauper on Tuesday December 10, 2024 @02:42PM (#42380608)
Drugs are expensive, especially cutting-edge ones that have not gone generic. It's not just because of gouging, but recouping the cost of developing them, and the marketing. Paying out of pocket is not possible with chemo. Also, it's hard to predict risk, so insurance is needed there too. So expensive product + uncertainty means insurance.
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Re:Insurance companies aren't the main villain of the U.S. h... by legitster on Tuesday December 10, 2024 @03:01PM (#42380814)
I also think drug prices are a pretty overrated topic when medical costs come up. I asked my friend how much he pays for Humira, on paper a $100k a year treatment, and he says "nothing". Insurance pays, like $15k a year to the manufacturer, and then "forgives" the rest of the cost for him.

The MSRP often is a made up number that nobody pays. Keeping up deception is a win-win for the parties involved: the manufacturer gets a crazy number through negotiation with Medicare, and the insurance company gets to brag about how much money it saved clients.

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