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by forapurpose
2881 days ago
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> the doc must raise prices to account for the new insurance As I understand it, the portion of additional costs that the doctor eats and the portion that they charge to their patients actually depends on the elasticity of the market for the doctor's medical services. I can't comment on the market for the hypothetical doctor's medical services (in the U.S. AFAIK that market is very complex and opaque, and it probably depends on the doctor, location, and the specific service), so speaking generally about sellers and buyers: The portion of a cost increase that is eaten by the seller or charged to the buyer depends on elasticity. Computer memory is highly elastic: If your costs go up and you try to increase your price $10/DIMM, then I'm going to buy my DIMM someplace else (unless your DIMMs are very special); a small change in price causes a large change in demand. Superstar developer salaries are highly inelastic: If the developer's costs increase (a new baby!) and they ask for more money, I probably have to give it to them because I'm not going to find a replacement. You see that more publicly with superstar athletes: Cristiano Ronaldo is irreplaceable; the market for his services is at the extreme of inelasticity; he can almost name his price for running around in shorts, playing games. |
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