[ravel-bar-foo]

Aye. No problem with hospitals, insurance companies, doctors, or drug companies being greedy as long as they provide value. The problem is that over time the value received by the patient is dropping while the value extracted increases (as does the number of middlemen!). We have gotten to the point where the value proposition is highly questionable. I can drive to Mexico (or fly to the Bahamas) and get cheaper care, often even better care. The only thing that makes it worthwhile to stay in the US system is that one's employer shoulders the burden of insurance payments. In other sectors of the economy we call this vendor lock-in.