[dynofuz]

The industry is being defined too narrow. The full industry includes insurers. Insurers have every reason to cure patients. Cured patients live longer. The longer you live the more years you pay premiums. The more premiums the higher your profits. So insurance is incenivized to put the money in the hands of those who cure rather than those who require insurance to fork up a fixed amount on an ongoing basis.

[danans]

> The longer you live the more years you pay premiums. The more premiums the higher your profits.

The longer you live, the more that the cost of your medical care exceeds the premiums that you pay, because the body naturally starts to fail, most acutely and expensively, toward the end of life. This is a big reason why the ACA individual mandate existed, because there is little incentive to pay for care for those who are expensive to care for if healthier people aren't part of the system.

It also demonstrates to why for-profit incentives don't work very well for health insurance at a national scale.

[sauwan]

Do insurance companies really have this incentive? You can (and probably will) shop around and find a new insurer within a few years.

[dynofuz]

yes youll shop around for the one that'll keep you alive the longest