(August 30, 2016 at 3:21 pm)Cato Wrote: I bright this up in another thread. Most hospitals struggle to break even. Negotiated rates and the ability to cover costs for those that don't pay is a convoluted mess.
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...imer/?_r=0
Drill into the linked paper for what the authors describe as chaos.
In short, anyone that believes the prices itemized on their hospital bill have anything to do with what's actually being charged is also likely to believe they're actually getting 50-75% off clothing at Kohls. Insurance companies and Medicare/Medicaid have negotiated rates regardless of what the itemization says; therefore, Medicare isn't telling the hospital to fuck off, just simply paying the negotiated rate.
If there was medical care for those who can't afford it we wouldn't have this problem with hospitals getting a ton of people who don't pay.
If we had a real system in place (aka if we become a real first world country instead of just pretending) we would not have this problem. I work two jobs and barely afford to make payments on my medical bills. What about people who can't work two jobs? What about people who can't find a job? It's not the fault of the people or the hospitals. It's the system. The healthcare system sucks.
