[blihp]

Our medical costs are so out of control it's not funny. Many years ago (i.e. last century) you'd go to the doctor and either they'd treat you on the spot or possibly prescribe something for most common ailments. And if that didn't work, you'd go back and then they'd run some tests and/or send you to a specialist. Today you go to your doctor, who most likely refers you to a specialist, who orders tests from a lab (of course each step racks up costs)... then maybe you get your prescription. Didn't work? Rinse and repeat with a more specialized specialist. Part of it is CYA to protect from liability, part of it is just the health care industry growing out of control.

[Joeri]

Maybe the problem is insurance networks. This incentivizes doctors and hospitals to play by the rules of high-revenue / high-payout insurance providers, whose revenues are high because of those rules.

[lotsofpulp]

Not really, since people would switch to other health insurance providers who have lower premiums. The problem was not forcing everyone into the same insurance market.

Letting all the healthy white collar office people stick with their employer chosen health insurance means the leftovers are the poor and unhealthy which many insurance companies can’t handle the losses from since there is no health population to balance it out, so you have places that have no health insurance competition.

Even then, the people that make the most money in healthcare are the providers (doctors) and by a significant multiple, so increasing their supply would be necessary to bringing costs down.