No reason? Hey, let's assume you're running a business. Only it's a special business. The customers really need your service. And they don't pay for your service. Someone else pays the bill for them. And they are extremely interested in acquiring the absolute top quality possible when using the service. So when you charge $50, but the guy across town charges $500, the customer will fight tooth and nail to get in and use your competitor instead. Call it 'reverse capitalism.'
That's insurance-supported medical care in the US. No one wants to go to the cut-rate bargain-basement doctor. And the majority of patients aren't paying their own medical bills. The insurance company is footing that bill. So when their kid gets sick, they're price-shopping in reverse. They only want the premium level, and offering a good deal actively stops people from using the service.
And that doesn't even get into the price-fixing that insurance companies engage in, entirely legally, because insurance is determined to be "not commerce" and therefore exempt from all antitrust laws. There is definitely a reason why Americas sub-standard care is so expensive - insurance.
That's insurance-supported medical care in the US. No one wants to go to the cut-rate bargain-basement doctor. And the majority of patients aren't paying their own medical bills. The insurance company is footing that bill. So when their kid gets sick, they're price-shopping in reverse. They only want the premium level, and offering a good deal actively stops people from using the service.
And that doesn't even get into the price-fixing that insurance companies engage in, entirely legally, because insurance is determined to be "not commerce" and therefore exempt from all antitrust laws. There is definitely a reason why Americas sub-standard care is so expensive - insurance.