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How would you reduce the price of healthcare in the US?

The entire nation is the risk pool. Nothing else comes close.
 
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Higher Premiums according to risk, for smokers, fat people, and drug users.
 
1. Invest in a national open-access AI diagnostics model that everybody can use. It doesn't have to be perfect but there's no reason it in combination with some basic diagnostics (bloodwork etc.) it can't be as predictive as an average physician, except you can consult with it frequently and at extremely low cost.

2. Get back to investing heavily in PSAs on basic preventative health: dental care, nutrition, lifelong exercise. Too many of our health costs trace directly to poor habits. We're a free country where everyone has the right to be as unhealthy as they want to be, but we need to invest in a mindset that values healthy lifestyles as a good thing.

3. ALL health care facilities (including hospitals) should be required by law to publish prices up front. Let people begin cross-shopping for their health care execution.

There's probably more but I'd start there.
 
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L88 said:
Higher Premiums according to risk, for smokers, fat people, and drug users.
Click to expand...

And people who exceed the speed limit, engage in sex with multiple partners, and ICE agents.

Hell, people who own cars. Jack their prices up. People who play sport. People who don’t play sport.
 
lynnwinslow said:
The first thing we need to do is make it so our lawmakers can legislate healthcare without being beholden to Pharma, Insurers, etc. Do you agree?
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That sounds nice, but it assumes lawmakers don't like being beholden. They do. It's how they fund their campaigns and retire as millionaires.
 
aociswundumho said:
Here's a pie chart showing where all the money goes:

View attachment 67594257

This breaks it down further:

View attachment 67594258

So let's hear your ideas. Remember, medicare for all mean a huge spike in demand which will push prices much higher than they are now.
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Adopt a system like the rest of the civilized world where everyone gets healthcare and the Govt. runs the system. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. The world laughs at how we are manipulated to pay double what others pay for equal or poorer results.
 
iguanaman said:
Adopt a system like the rest of the civilized world where everyone gets healthcare and the Govt. runs the system. We don't need to reinvent the wheel. The world laughs at how we are manipulated to pay double what others pay for equal or poorer results.
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Is that called the VA?
 
aociswundumho said:
Here's a pie chart showing where all the money goes:

View attachment 67594257

This breaks it down further:

View attachment 67594258

So let's hear your ideas. Remember, medicare for all mean a huge spike in demand which will push prices much higher than they are now.
Click to expand...
How much for insurance administration and profit? Also how much is medical malpractice insurance? Bet we could reduce that. How much is saved when more people gobfor preventative care as opposed to treating a problem that develops because you can't afford the regular check ups? I would love to see an analysis by the Freakonomics guys. Great books.
 
Clearly we need to get rid of government and let corporations do whatever they want.

I'm sure that will work out. Corporations look out for social welfare, not their shareholders. Isn't that right @aociswundumho? After all, get rid of government and everyone lovingly works to help each other!

LIBERTANISM FTW!
 
aociswundumho said:
That sounds nice, but it assumes lawmakers don't like being beholden. They do. It's how they fund their campaigns and retire as millionaires.
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Again most other Democracies don't tolerate graft like we do and they pay for campaigns out of Govt. funds. It levels the playing field. It is just common sense. If money buys votes than only those with money will be served by elected officials.
 
aociswundumho said:
That sounds nice, but it assumes lawmakers don't like being beholden. They do. It's how they fund their campaigns and retire as millionaires.
Click to expand...
So we don't encourage money grabbers to run. I just did some research about this today as a matter of fact.
Here is how we get the dominoes to start falling.
Support public campaign financing at the state level. This will eventually gives us a pool of lawmakers who don't have to answer to healthcare lobbies and big pharma.
 
aociswundumho said:
Here's a pie chart showing where all the money goes:

View attachment 67594257

This breaks it down further:

View attachment 67594258

So let's hear your ideas. Remember, medicare for all mean a huge spike in demand which will push prices much higher than they are now.
Click to expand...
Nice chart. #1. So Admin takes over 25%. Cut that down to 10% by simplifying and standardizing.

2nd. Require a minimum deductible of, say, 10% of annual income. This eliminates insurance overhead on basic procedures. You don't pay an insurance company to pay for scheduled service for your car, so do the same for your sorry lardass. Note that this will greatly assist in reducing Admin costs.

3rd. Make people pay for their emergency room visits. Require a social security number and ID upon arrival. If they don't pay their bill, have FedCo garnish their wages or take it directly out of their bank account.
 
Replace a lot of the diagnosis using AI and nurses, get more specialist doctors certified to bring down those costs. Doctors are the most highly paid people in the mix, they have had control of how many can enter the field.
 
Bok Tuklo said:
And people who exceed the speed limit, engage in sex with multiple partners, and ICE agents.

Hell, people who own cars. Jack their prices up. People who play sport. People who don’t play sport.
Click to expand...

People who get speeding tickets more than once see their insurance go up.

Unprotected sex results in 100,000's of abortions and millions of people infected with STD's.

ICE is now doing their job.

How many people crossed the southern border while Biden was president?

There have been 8.7 million migrant encounters since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. stated on February 27, 2024

www.politifact.com

No, 10 million people have not entered the U.S. under Biden

Evangelical pastor Franklin Graham made a trip to Texas and, while there, he waded into the immigration debate. "(Joe Bi
www.politifact.com www.politifact.com

Illegal border crossings plunge under Trump in 2025, but numbers are rising.​


U.S. Border Patrol recorded roughly 238,000 migrant apprehensions in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, down from more than 1.5 million apprehensions in fiscal 2024 - 10/24 thru 9/25


www.usatoday.com

Illegal border crossings plunge under Trump in 2025, but numbers are rising

Migrant apprehensions by Border Patrol at the U.S.-Mexico border fell to 238,000 from more than 1.5 million.
www.usatoday.com
 
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Bok Tuklo said:
And people who exceed the speed limit, engage in sex with multiple partners, and ICE agents.

Hell, people who own cars. Jack their prices up. People who play sport. People who don’t play sport.
Click to expand...
The cost of Obesity, smoking, and drug use far exceeds your other concerns, and they directly affect health.

The cost of lifestyle healthcare is a dichotomy: an unhealthy lifestyle can result in staggering medical costs, while adopting a healthy lifestyle can lead to significant savings. The annual US healthcare cost associated with physical inactivity alone is estimated at $192 billion. Chronic diseases resulting from poor lifestyle choices, like obesity and diabetes, lead to higher costs for hospitalizations, prescriptions, and emergency visits. Conversely, healthy habits, such as quitting smoking or eating nutritious foods, can save thousands of dollars annually in medical expenses, far outweighing the relatively small extra cost of a healthier diet.
publichealth.uga.edu

Physical inactivity leads to $192B in American healthcare costs - College of Public Health UGA

Inadequate physical activity is costing Americans thousands, and according to a new study from the University of Georgia and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cost keeps rising. The
publichealth.uga.edu publichealth.uga.edu
 
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