Why does health care in the USA cost so much?

You misunderstood what I was saying. It is a black hole for insureds as they pay premiums for insurance that covers less than prior to the ppaca , higher deductibles, most $6000.00 up per year, higher out of pockets which renders a majority of policies worthless.

Plus also as a small business with 8 employees needing health insurance, the only policies offered to us have $6000.00 deductibles which our employees find it tough to pay in addition to the rest of their monthly expenses and none of us covered under the plan have received anything more than our insurance paying part of our office visits and prescription drug costs as we have now for 2 years not met the $6000 deductible. What part of the disaster Obamacare is do you fail to understand.

 

The point is that many who are now "covered" are not really very covered at all.
Of course you can pay more to get better coverage, but now these plans are even less affordable than they were before.

It's like a marketing trick. The whole point is to be able to claim there are now affordable options, but these so-called "options" are merely a hollow facade that no one in their right mind would choose to buy if it weren't for the Obamacare penalty looming over their heads.

 

Gosh, are we thinking that insurance companies did not sell such polices before?

Difffernt policies are actually better for different people
The low end policy you are talking about is ok for a young healthy person.
It gives them coverage for a few routine things, like flu shots and physical exams
And also covers them in case of some severe issue like cancer
It is not so good for a person who is needing ongoing treatment

In my own case, i had to make exactly the same choices in insurance plans before obamacare

 

In california, we had a choice
Bronze, silver, gold, platinum


All had similar maximum out of pocket
What mostly varied was the up front premium cost
And the percent of the service cost the insured paid--- the so called co pay

Bronze: On average, your health plan pays 60 percent of your medical expenses, and you pay 40 percent.

Silver: On average, your health plan pays 70 percent of your medical expenses, and you pay 30 percent.



Gold: On average, your health plan pays 80 percent of your medical expenses, and you pay 20 percent.

Platinum: On average, your health plan pays 90 percent of your medical expenses, and you pay 10 percent.

 

Because profit is protected in the U.S. and is treated as an inalienable right by all three branches of our government, especially for those companies and corporations large enough to buy profit from our government.

 

This is completely false! Most of the major insurance companies are insuring a global market and when those people end up costing more in cost, Americans end up paying more in premiums. The new law that requires insurers to pay a fee to the government for every member is also costing Americans more in premiums. The money paid in premiums is also allowed insurance companies to buy up all of the commercial property in the U.S. as well as investing in equipment machinery. United Healthcare owns a bank as well as other businesses not associated with healthcare.

These high deductibles is being used so insurance companies do not have to pay out claims. There is a very small percentage of people that meet their deductible on a yearly basis. The law that says they have to pay out 80% of premiums is bogus when you have a deductible to meet first.

 

Simple answer no one in the system is willing to say NO to higher costs. Say there is a new drug for breast cancer and its just 2% better in results then existing options with reduced side effects but its four times as much say instead of $25,000 its $100,000 and the patient wants it clearly and the doctor is happy to give it who is there to refuse saying: The chance of a cure is not much better so we won't pay that much for that drug course of treatment use the cheaper option? In other nations they might offer it but would tell the drug company give us a very good deal or we won't buy that drug but will pay a bit over the other best option say $30,000. In the USA no one would say no for long insurers might but then face a lawsuit since it has a minor improved result so would be the "best option".

 

Your premiums aren't impacted by the health of people in other states, much less other countries. There is no global risk pool, regardless of how many places a company does business.

Why is that bogus? The vast majority of premium revenue has to be spent on medical services--and it is. That was my point in saying your premium dollars aren't vanishing into a black hole: they're being funneled into the provider community.

The fact that some of your personal dollars may be flowing there too through deductibles doesn't change that fact. It just underscores how much money is flowing to the nation's health care providers. Your high deductible and your premiums.

 

That isn't why new drugs cost so much. It costs thousands+ dollars to research and develop new drugs due to federal regulations, cost of development and extensive clinical studies required. After the drug is approved for use by the FDA, they are given exclusive distribution rights without competition from generic drugs manufactured by other drug companies. Why, so they can recoop the high costs of development and earn a profit, the incentive to research and develop new drugs. If you want the cost to go down then complain to the FDA and fesdeeal government that through fees and regulations raise the cost of development, something foreign governments don't do. That is why drugs available in other countries are often not approves for use in the USA until years later, if at all.