And why AREN'T we talking about WHY the healthcare costs are so high? Instead we're trying to be thankful that they're high and that our overlords are "helping" pay the bills? (of course, they've got their hands in the everyone's pockets via helping jack up prices, but we ought not look at that)
DISCLAIMER: I don't work FOR or AGAINST the healthcare "industry," nor do I have a heavy draw on the system (being very healthy). I'm just amazed at how anyone can defend the crappy system.
The disconnect from direct pay is a huge reason for escalating costs in healthcare plus rules and regs that add to overhead.
Before insurance it is not like people did not have healthcare and much was provided by faith based organizations that have all but been driven from my state by government mandates on abortion and gender reassignment.
Our now retired Chief of Staff would see the wasted meds each month and say when he was a doctor in the AirForce the identical meds came with no expiration dates or greatly extended... how can this be when the only difference is the purchaser?
Everything civilian has an outdate... even bandages and the waste is astounding.
Some meds only sold in lots so you buy 6 only to waste 5 and sharing is just about impossible due to pharmacy regs.
Covid protocols greatly impacted overhead and increase the waste stream...
Then med professionals often pay huge malpractice premiums and so it goes.
City, County, State, Region, Feds all have a hand in the pie...
I have to pay an annual fee for the volume of Oxygen on hand and for gallons of Diesel for the emergency generator and so on...
On the other hand asked someone about their hospital stay and some almost brag saying my stay cost 100,000 and it was all covered...
We also test and do diagnostic procedures at ever increasing rates...