[acegopher]

> They said that some PE firms were on a mission to acquire all of the vet firms in metro areas and then drive prices up even further because the demand is so inelastic.

This is why medical care (human or pet) and capitalism don't mix well. If you are having a heart attack, you aren't comparing prices, and if your animal "child" is throwing up, you aren't calling around various vets.

[dantheman]

Almost all healthcare spending is not on emergencies.

[kaashif]

> This is why medical care (human or pet) and capitalism don't mix well. If you are having a heart attack, you aren't comparing prices, and if your animal "child" is throwing up, you aren't calling around various vets.

Comparing human and (non-human, but I'll omit that) animal healthcare is flawed. Humans are paying for healthcare themselves and place an infinite financial value on their own lives. Animals don't pay for their own healthcare, so it doesn't matter how much they value their own lives, what matters is how much the owner values its life, which is in many cases not at all infinite.