Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by namdnay 1843 days ago
At the end of the day, it's always "for profit". Either it's the doctors getting paid by the state getting paid by citizens, or the hospital getting paid by the state getting paid by citizens, or the hospitals getting paid by the insurers getting paid by citizens, or very often a combination of the 3.

The issue in the US is the setup, not the fundamental principal
1 comments
Broken_Hippo 1843 days ago
Getting paid for your labor isn't the same as "for profit". Hospitals can get their stuff paid for without there being "profit", and you don't have to expect sick folks to have extra money to pay for middle men.
link
namdnay 1843 days ago
> Hospitals can get their stuff paid for without there being "profit"

They can, but it's not necessary. There are lots of private hospitals in France and it works just fine

> you don't have to expect sick folks to have extra money to pay for middle men

There are always going to be middlemen. Too few and resources are allocated inefficiently due to a lack of management. Too many and it's a waste of resources. The trick is to find the right balance

link
Broken_Hippo 1843 days ago
"There are always going to be middlemen. Too few and resources are allocated inefficiently due to a lack of management. Too many and it's a waste of resources. The trick is to find the right balance"

Yes, agreed, though I'd argue that middlemen aren't actually needed - as actual middlemen are folks getting paid when they aren't really necessary. It is kind of like car dealerships don't really need to be as they are, but that is part of the service you pay for with cars. Instead, you simply need enough people to get things to work - and sometimes that can be lessened. For example, standardized medical billing and coding in the US would reduce the labor required to deal with insurance - and suddenly, fewer people are needed at the office. Fairly standarized coverage would help as well (fewer misunderstandings) and decoupling it from employment (US based: Would take away HR jobs, but reduce burden on companies).

But the main point really was that sick people, who could easily be missing work to see the doctor, shouldn't be expected to pay for everything.

link