The cost of healthcare in this country is our single largest problem

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Nathan the Machinist

Nathan the Machinist

KnifeMaker / Machinist / Evil Genius
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People don't think about it much or talk about it much because a lot of people don't actually see these costs because they're getting it from the government or they're getting it through their employer.

My healthcare costs next year are going to be $28,000. That's just me and Jo. For crappy insurance. And that's just the premiums so I'm going to spend over 30 grand next year on just healthcare. Crappy healthcare.

How do people make this work? What the hell is going on here that it just keeps getting worse and worse like this. Something has to give, this has to stop.

It's tempting to move to another country where healthcare costs don't eat 100% of your disposable income. I'm not talking about "free" healthcare. I'm talking about the rest of the world where an out-of-pocket for an MRI is 300-400 bucks (uninsured foreigner without government assistance, paying full price out of pocket) instead of thousands.
 
It’s an easy fix, but it’ll never get fixed. I am very blessed I get healthcare through my Union for me and my family at no cost. If I didn’t have insurance and had to pay out of pocket I’d probably be homeless.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
People don't think about it much or talk about it much because a lot of people don't actually see these costs because they're getting it from the government or they're getting it through their employer.

My healthcare costs next year are going to be $28,000. That's just me and Jo. For crappy insurance. And that's just the premiums so I'm going to spend over 30 grand next year on just healthcare. Crappy healthcare.

How do people make this work? What the hell is going on here that it just keeps getting worse and worse like this. Something has to give, this has to stop.

It's tempting to move to another country where healthcare costs don't eat 100% of your disposable income. I'm not talking about "free" healthcare. I'm talking about the rest of the world where an out-of-pocket for an MRI is 300-400 bucks (uninsured foreigner without government assistance, paying full price out of pocket) instead of thousands.
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It's tough....

Nathan the Machinist Nathan the Machinist met my friend Derrick/Darryl ... he's had 3 open heart surgeries from 10 till age 27 , he has a medical condition and his 4 year old daughter has the same condition

I don't know how he pays all the medical bills they deal with
 
There's no "free" health care...someone has to pay.

If there were some sort of equitable way to have everyone pay their fair share into the system, and there was some way to ensure that quality health care would be available to all who needed it, I guess I'd probably be able to be convinced that this country should have health care for all (citizens).

I don't mind the idea of paying more in taxes, if the money is going to benefit "the people". Not some people.


(What you're paying, Nate, is almost exactly what my wife and I would be paying for our plan if it weren't for the gov't paying a large portion of the bill based upon my prior employment with Uncle. And I do sympathize and think we need to address it.)
 
Insane law suits don’t help either. Limiting life saving care and procedures for certain populations (such as done in places with socialized medicine) would decrease costs quite a bit. Populations who want prescribed medications to fix everything instead of taking any personal responsibility. Terrible reimbursement rates for providers and facilities for Medicare/Medicaid which actually cause losses in revenue. People wanting the latest technology, procedures and drugs. Etc…..

Lots of reasons.
 
Politicians and voters only debate free healthcare, while costs keep rising without being discussed, really.

First, this would have to be fixed:

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(It’s worse now than in 2021)

Then, cut the open feedback loop between providers and insurers setting prices, and both donating to politicians.

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(Also this is worse today and after Covid)

And then there is the lawsuits and lawyer lobbies…

None of this is ever up for vote, or discussed in the news after your favorite Pharma commercial - I wonder why ? :confused:
 
I don't think it's our number one problem, but I do think it is a major problem.

I'm not sure what the solution is though. I don't believe having the government "in charge" is the answer.

I believe the quality of care would decrease and it would become one more way for political elitists to line their pockets at everyone's expense.
 
It's nuts. When my wife broke her wrist, the various providers, ER, OR, doctors, nurses, technicians and staff submitted bills to our insurance for somewhere near $70,000. (She needed a titanium plate installed with several screws to hold it in place.)

The insurance company's preferred provider approvals were way, way less than billed, and our share, including deductibles came out to about $4,000.00. It makes no sense. (Of course I was happy to "only" pay 4K on top of my insurance costs.)

Personally, I'd like to see medical professionals fairly compensated for their work and service. (This includes the facilities as well.) I think frivolous lawsuits should be dropped, and those who try to game the system, prosecuted.

I don't plan on having "heroic measures" taken to keep me or my wife alive at any and all costs. When it's time, it's time. We haven't been cheated.

I hate seeing people in this country going hungry and without proper care. There has to be a way to address that without it all going into the pockets of middlemen.

I will do my part.
 
Fundamentally I believe it is because the payer and the consumer are not the same person, which incentivizes the payer to limit payments and the consumer to not be price conscious and the provider to not have transparent pricing that would drive competition.

We also do not have a health insurance system, we have a patchwork prepay health program. Consider the things for which we buy insurance. They are all accidental or unanticipated in nature and generally catastrophic financially. Now imagine if the government required your auto insurance to also cover oil changes, brake and tire replacements, and all other routine maintenance. How much would auto insurance cost?

Third, the third party payer situation, with the biggest third party payers being government bureaucracies who can set policy and reimbursement rates, also introduces substantial compliance and administrative costs into the system.
 
I hate to pile on but my home insurance here in CA went from 2k in 2020 to 9k this year. I told my wife last night that retiring from teaching at 57(30 years) in 10 years isn’t an option because her health insurance is going to be key until we can get Medicare. The whole financial system here is based on keeping the middle class working and barely getting by so a small amount of people can reap crazy profits and others get free healthcare because they make below a certain threshold.
 
FullMetal said:
I hate to pile on but my home insurance here in CA went from 2k in 2020 to 9k this year. I told my wife last night that retiring from teaching at 57(30 years) in 10 years isn’t an option because her health insurance is going to be key until we can get Medicare. The whole financial system here is based on keeping the middle class working and barely getting by so a small amount of people can reap crazy profits and others get free healthcare because they make below a certain threshold.
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CA is a dumpster fire of misappropriated funds, corruption, and elitism. If unnecessary state run programs were eliminated, the ridiculous state income and property taxes wouldn't be even remotely justifiable (not that they are now).

The federal government is out of control and incentives this kind of behavior though.

Utah (where I live) has insanely corrupt politicians and elections it's mind-boggling.

I don't honestly know how we, as a country, get out of this without serious reform and I'm not sure if that's possible without some very rough roads being taken.
 
carnifex knifeworks said:
CA is a dumpster fire of misappropriated funds, corruption, and elitism. If unnecessary state run programs were eliminated, the ridiculous state income and property taxes wouldn't be even remotely justifiable (not that they are now).

The federal government is out of control and incentives this kind of behavior though.

Utah (where I live) has insanely corrupt politicians and elections it's mind-boggling.

I don't honestly know how we, as a country, get out of this without serious reform and I'm not sure if that's possible without some very rough roads being taken.
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We need another Theodore Roosevelt
 
It also does not help that hospitals are forced to keep patients that should be discharged to either another lower care facility or mental health facility because there is no place to send them. So many people use the ER as a treatment facility for any complaint instead of a primary care or urgent care it is crazy.
 
We have an economic system which allows the top 2% to have more assets than all of the bottom 50% combined. This is simply incompatible with having a functioning society. Unless it’s a feudal system where most people are basically impoverished peasants.
In order to fix the healthcare crisis (and housing and education and food insecurity etc etc ) we must stop allowing the wealthiest people to pay almost no taxes, buy the politicians, and make all the laws in their favor.
This will take time but it starts with electing representatives who support real economic reforms (omg socialists!!) and we need to get big money out of politics. Repealing Citizens United and getting rid of gerrymandering would be a good start.
Meanwhile I feel your pain! We should all be calling our representatives daily about this. Most of them don’t care, but they do care about getting re-elected. If the tax credit subsidy for Obamacare premiums is allowed to expire, health insurance costs will skyrocket. This is why so many people are now getting sticker shock. It was bad before, but the “One Big Beautiful Bill” is the final nail in the coffin.
www.statista.com

Wealth distribution U.S. 2025| Statista

In the first quarter of 2025, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners.
www.statista.com www.statista.com
 
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