Quote:
Originally Posted by LandYaghtLover
Its simple. Greed by hospitals. But also carelessness by insurance. Long ago when a hospital would treat someone they may or may not have insurance. So prices were reasonable. But then insurance became more and more popular and hospitals kept pushing the envelope of what they could charge and get aways with. Insurance disputed less and less, hospitals charged more and more.
Basically there was not checks and balance systems in place. It snowballed into what it is today. But the real kicker is that hospitals are ran more like any other business and LESS like a health care facility. Which is why those without insurance often get turned away.
As for machines costing a lot. Sure they do, but they also make the diagnosing of patients easier and quicker, thus in many cases saving time and staff.
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The check is when the charges from the hospital become too much for the HI to stay in the black, which either leads to denied claims or increased rates or both...mostly higher rates in the past, but I think HIs are trying to balance that out a lot more with high deductible plans, different coverage packages, etc (all the more confusing for the consumer).
To the equipment point - the equipment usually needs operators and maintenance ($$$) and are often replaced after a few years for something bigger and better. I can't imagine the used MRI machine market is too great right now, I'd think that "old" equipment is almost a total loss.