Quote:First, yes, it's entirely possible to have free market hospitals, just not in our current regulatory environment.

 

Second, if you understand the thin margin then how can you claim they're gouging you? If revenue minus expenses isn't a positive number then they don't stay in business. Not to mention that 60% of American community hospitals are non-profit anyhow, so no share holders are making money on those greedy transactions (only 15% are for profit). BTW, that 60% of the industry has a profit margin of 2.2% for 2013 (margin for all hospitals was 3.1%). If the margin is 2.2% and they are "gouging" you then what do you call the retail clothing industry that has a margin of 48%? A 3% margin isn't indicative of "greed" by any measure. 

It's simple...when you buy a pill for pennies or sub pennies just because you can, it's and sell it for $26 it's gouging,,,,simply operating on a slim margin doesn't make gouging ethical or not happening...gouging does not mean that the company is making a huge profit overall, it means "to overchargewindle" (gouge). The company can even operate in the red and be guilty of price gouging...

 

Not for profit agencies make money...The NFL is a not for profit entity but look how much money it generates, so not for profit means nothing....

 

The bottom line is anything that is bought at a level such as pennies or sub pennies and sold for $26 for one, and a 30 day supply is less than $12, is pushing the boundaries of ethics and guilty of fleecing the consumer...

---