(07-16-2018, 03:25 PM)pirkster Wrote: The way "Universal" system would "fix" an issue like this... would be to soak the "rich" at $100 each for a sandwich with a honest market value of $10.  Then, the "poor" would eat for free.  It wouldn't be a sandwich of your choice, it will be one that's deemed "necessary" for you.

The provider, forced to give away more sandwiches than they sell - would then have to raise the honest market value of the sandwich to $20.  The price to those who could pay then rises accordingly to $200.

If a market is even allowed... alternatives would then spring up in response to the demand for more affordable options, forcing the original provider out of business.  Reimbursements are delayed, service drops, because continuing to raise the price isn't viable - but they also cannot be profitable without covering rising costs.  Those being soaked take advantage of those alternatives (if allowed,) and eventually the provider goes under as it doesn't have enough customers to soak to pay for the freeloaders *and* pay the bills.

Cycle repeats... then services are denied and delayed with queues established, until enough folks are turned away from service to match the nominal level of service that's able to be provided.

History has proven this as not viable.  But then if some refuse history, science, and truth... that's the only way the fantasy idea survives.  As fiction.  Not fact.

this country does not have Universal coverage yet, although Obamacare was a step in that direction.
We do have the trend of arbitrarily increasing prices and providers going under, though.
And we had that before Obamacare of course. And we also had it before COBRA and guaranteed emergency room service got started in 1985.
So the continued price increases and continued consolidation in healthcare providers seems to have nothing to do with these incremental moves towards Universal coverage.
Meanwhile other countries (including Mexico!!) do have Universal coverage and have more doctors per capita than we do, so, they certainly aren't going out of business.
I don't know, it's almost as if there's more than one factor to consider when looking at a Health Care system.

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