Re:Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us
by pdonis on Thursday February 21, 2013 @03:17PM
(#5260039)
There's numerous examples in this article about how Medicare pays more reasonable prices for things than anything billed out to consumers.
Yet the article says that the $800 billion a year the US government spends on Medicare is what's driving the federal deficit. So is Medicare part of the solution, or part of the problem?
Re:Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us
by astrodust on Thursday February 21, 2013 @04:09PM
(#5260392)
Presumably the cost of the services Medicare provides would decrease further if the volume increased under universal care.
Secondly, Medicare would be better funded if it was paid into like virtually every other single-payer system.
What's driving the deficit is taxes that are too low and military spending that's too high.
There's numerous examples in this article about how Medicare pays more reasonable prices for things than anything billed out to consumers.
Insurance companies often get the same sort of deals, but they certainly don't pass on the savings.