
What makes the US health care system so expensive - iamelgringo
http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/?p=9006
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gregwebs
Unfortunately you won't find the answer here. In part the problem is we are
comparing ourselves to Europe, which is still very similar to us.

The real answer is that we are extraordinarily unhealthy. We now assume that
we are supposed to have an assortment of health problems that must be
alleviated by drugs or costly medical interventions.

One remarkable example to demonstrate this point is that we assume humans are
required to have dentists and orthodontists pull and shape their teeth for
them to come in correctly. Of course, that is not the case- such a creature
could not survive in the wild and there is ample evidence to the contrary:
<http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/price/price8.html>

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benmccann
I have a hard time believing the main cause is overuse of medicine although
it's a likely contributor. I was in a car crash a couple weeks ago, went to
the ER, waited 8 hours without seeing a doc, gave up and went home. Just got
the bill for $1,000. $1,000?! to sit in a waiting room without seeing a
doctor! Prices at hospitals are unconscionable and divorced from reality. No
one asks what things cost and so the hospitals take advantage.

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dbrannan
Are you going to contest that?

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benmccann
Nope. My insurance is picking up the tab, so I have no incentive to. I did
however get my copay waived.

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gjm11
Earlier discussion, two days ago:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1747202>

(There are other posts in the same series, to which the one linked here is the
introduction. At least one has been submitted to HN, but hasn't attracted any
comments.)

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ursablanco
It's a silly thesis. For one thing it confuses cause and effect.

For another, compare the per capita GDP of Norway, which is higher than the
US's and Norwegian health outcomes, which are also better.

I'm left wondering; what about the current situation so appeals to the blogger
that they attempt to make it an inevitable outcome of being a really rich
country.

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fragmede
For the temporally challenged, the linked articles are all already up.

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chopsueyar
Our crappy food supply.

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stygianguest
Simple: Americans, pious and sinful as they are, don't want to go to hell.
Hence their money flows towards churches and healthcare.

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evo_9
_...pious and sinful..._

You cannot be serious, are you?

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CapitalistCartr
Please don't fee the trolls. Evo, you know that.

~~~
evo_9
Ha, yeah thanks for the reminder...

