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by lotsofpulp 551 days ago
I feel like a lot of doctors and nurses wouldn’t be doctors or nurses without the decent profit they earn.

I certainly wouldn’t work evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, not to mention sacrifice my life during my 20s. And be around gross stuff and sad people.

And especially not when you can earn a comparable profit working behind keyboard.
1 comments
bornfreddy 551 days ago
That's... not what I meant. It is one thing to earn (very) good wages and entirely another thing to optimise the whole healthcare for profit. Healthcare is, by definition, a cost center. If you wanted to align incentives (a bit better) you would be paying for it only when you are not ill, not when you are. A decent compromise is what most countries do, which is that citizens pay a fixed sum for health insurance which covers most of the basic expenses. However the incentives are never completely aligned - someone profits from people being ill.
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lotsofpulp 551 days ago
> optimise the whole healthcare for profit.

I don’t understand what this means. A group of doctors get together and open a business offering their services, and they distribute profits into their bank accounts. Or a dentist, or an optometrist, or a podiatrist.

Why would 99% of people do this work if they cannot profit?

> A decent compromise is what most countries do, which is that citizens pay a fixed sum for health insurance which covers most of the basic expenses.

That is just health insurance with $0 deductible/copays. Some US employers do offer this, and some even pay 100% of the premiums.

But these plans don’t sell well to the broader public, because most people would prefer (or can only afford) a lower premium and accept the volatility of having to spend a few hundred or a few thousand before insurance kicks in.

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bornfreddy 551 days ago
> I don’t understand what this means.

In some (many?) countries the options for private healthcare are limited (by design) and public healthcare takes care of people. Not in USA though. :) It has its pros and cons, but to be honest, neither system works very well. I would pick a public one anytime, but maybe it's just because I know it.

> Why would 99% of people do this work if they cannot profit?

They do profit, and should - they get a paycheck for their work.

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