That makes insurance more expensive. Do you think insurance companies are some bottomless reserve of money hoarded by evil tycoons? This reasoning is why medical costs spiral out of control.
It's true that the system encourages this behavior through poorly designed incentives, but outrage and publicity is the only check on this. So the outrage is perfectly well-placed.
> Do you think insurance companies are some bottomless reserve of money hoarded by evil tycoons?
Yes, absolutely. To the extent that "evil tycoons" exist in the real human world and are not just propagandist's caricatures, anyway.
Medical insurers provide near-zero tangible value and are the main reason that the medical system is FUBAR'd. I understand that there are many good people working for insurers because they need to put food on the table, and I sympathize with that, and I probably would take such employment myself if necessary.
But we should not pretend that medical insurers are good or that they are entitled to anything. The belief that they deserve a place in the economy is immensely destructive. They are paper pushers who leech from the providers administering medical care, the patients receiving it, and literally everyone in between, including the state and the patient's employer(s).
We do not have to accept medical insurers, nor pretend their role is legitimate. I personally believe most types of medical insurance should be immediately and completely outlawed.
> That makes insurance more expensive. Do you think insurance companies are some bottomless reserve of money hoarded by evil tycoons? This reasoning is why medical costs spiral out of control.
Yes, they are. They are permitted to raise premiums "as much as necessary" due to a lack of cost controls, and the ACA/Obamacare simply subsidizes insurance with little eye towards costs. They get their admin skim regardless. Your blame is misplaced.
If you want your drugs affordable, manufacture them without a profit motive (through a government sponsored entity, for example). Use government funding through the NIH, the NSF, and DARPA for drug development. Put cost controls in place and use Medicare as a single payer system. If you leave any room for profiting, someone will find a way to exploit it. That's capitalism.
It's true that the system encourages this behavior through poorly designed incentives, but outrage and publicity is the only check on this. So the outrage is perfectly well-placed.