$23,000,000,000 profit/29 million insured makes $793 profit per insured person.
That's huge isn't it? $800 bucks in profit per customer? What does Apple make? Or Unilever?
Why compare to Apple, when the healthcare is arguably more complex and expensive?
They are just other things people commonly spend money on
the original OP is claiming that the healthcare industry is too profitable. So you have to compare it to something to see if it is too profitable.
Right, but why use Apple ($800 phone every 2-4 years) compared to say, an automaker ($40k in depreciation over 10 years) or a REIT ($2000 in rent every month)? Moreover, why focus on absolute profits? If the healthcare industry split into 3 (eg. doctors, dental, drugs) but with the same margins, does that mean they're suddenly not "too profitable"?
Nothing compares to tech. These are not equivalent comps.
Re:Is the World Becoming Uninsurable?
by Ferret7446 on Tuesday January 21, 2025 @03:32AM
(#42777752)
I'm pretty sure medical procedures cost a lot more than an iPhone, no matter how cheaply you're sourcing all of your materials and labor.
why is this number considered huge? What measure are you using? These absolute numbers are meaningless, because you have to put it into context. That's why profit margin is what analysts use, not the absolute number.
If i changed those figures to: they made $77 per person, per year in the USA for providing healthcare services, does that still seem as big? Or is it now reasonable?