re: #671 robdouth

No that’s not it at all. I’m saying that you cap prices charged, it doesn’t cap costs. You come into the hospital and need Factor X, which although sounds sci-fi, but is an actual thing then you are getting blood factors that literally cost over a million dollars a day for the dosage. If you cap what the hospital can charge then they could lose millions just on that one patient. I know that’s an extreme case, but you can’t only cap at the very end, unless you are going to cap what manufacturers can charge for medical supplies and drugs, and yeah for some they will take little profit over no profit, but they will also learn the game and not invest heavily in new drugs and supplies because they will factor in the lowered return on investment. Wouldn’t take long before our healthcare was static and or in decline just because of the supplies and procedures that would be rendered obsolete for cost purposes.

It bears repeating: price /= cost. Price is what pays for costs. All the talk of government “holding down healthcare costs” is baloney. No matter where you squeeze the tube, the toothpaste is going to have to go someplace.