milofarmer1 - 1/5/2012 07:36

We have been using a local regional hospital lately. Prenatal, delivery, postpartum checkups, etc. None of which our insurance covers. A little consultation with a nurse practitioner "cost" $60 but when you offer to pay them that day with a check, they always give a 40% discount, so it comes down to $35. Same with the prenatal care. Flat rate of $1500 for 7 visits or more, 40% discount for not using insurance, $900. We haven't gotten the bill on the delivery and hospital stay yet, but is supposed to be in the $8-10,000 range, but after our 40% discount should be more like $5-6000.

My point being if everybody had to pay for their healthcare upfront, there would be more competition between providers, and costs would come down. When you encourage people to get more and more care (insurance co. policy, government programs) and then tell them they don't have to pay for it, you end up with artificially inflated prices.

New national policy: Everyone in America is entitled to subsidized McDonalds meals. You can eat at McDonalds as much as you like, have anything on the menu you want, and all you have to pay is a $.15 "co-pay" every meal. What would happen? McDonalds would be swamped with customers, hire more people to handle the red-tape, hire more people to cook food, more managers, add better food to the menu like lobster and steak, meanwhile they would pass all the cost onto to the government WHICH WE ALL PAY FOR! There would no longer be any incentive to be efficient. When you have a captive customer base, and can pass on all your costs to the taxpayer, why worry about what it costs? Isn't that how our healthcare works?[/QUOTE]


EXCELLENT reply , WHY is it so HARD for many to understand this ? ? ?

Edited by tooth and nail 1/5/2012 10:25