Reply #48: the uninsured subsidize the insured

[pitohui]

insurance companies get these contracts to supply the same services for a much lower price, so the hospitals and doctors feel obligated to bill the uninsured at huge rates to make up for the shortfall

it has already been ruled legal quite a number of years ago in louisiana, an uninsured person might pay up to 9x the same price as the insurance carrier would have paid for the same service to that person

i guess it's called volume pricing and it's legal in other areas but you'd think health care would be different -- when you are sick or injured you are forced to purchase the care whether it destroys your entire future and family financially or not, it is not like you can go shopping, sometimes you are not even conscious when the care is given if the accident is serious enough!

as far as i'm concerned, it should be illegal for insurance companies to be involved in the health care business at all, health care should be a right and some sort of fairly compensating doctors and other medical care workers should come from taxes/government -- and paperpushers should not be allowed to scoop off huge profits at all

well, preaching to the converted here, i'm sure, if only the powers that be would listen