I wasn't quite sure where to put this....so Sooz, it's your call...lol

http://www.upworthy.com/his-first-4-sen ... g=2&c=ufb1

Here is fine, Chaos ~ I love the UpWorthy site ~ and this video is a prime example of why ~

Sooz

From a link provided...

The high price paid for colonoscopies mostly results not from top-notch patient care, according to interviews with health care experts and economists, but from business plans seeking to maximize revenue; haggling between hospitals and insurers that have no relation to the actual costs of performing the procedure; and lobbying, marketing and turf battles among specialists that increase patient fees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/health/colonoscopies-explain-why-us-leads-the-world-in-health-expenditures.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&


In other words, hospitals have become for-profit businesses.

So the next question is where do those maximized revenues go? Any guesses?

Cartels of doctors running specialty practices? Insurance company shareholders? big pharma?

I can assure they do not go into the pocket of the consumer or the small independent provider.

I took my daughter to the ER back in July. I have insurance that is pretty comprehensive but relies on a provider network. So my copay for an ER visit is set at $75. I later get separate bills from two providers that were paid by the insurance company at a rate determined by an outside consultant however they are balance billing me for the amount over the determined payment. The insurance company says don't pay it, they will handle it. The consultant calls asking for copies for the bills, the insurance company calls to say that they are in further negotiations with the providers. Everything is a separate entity now, instead of everything being billed through the hospital in the past. When I had my baby (15 years ago) I got an itemized bill from the hospital that included the doctor's fee, the hospital charges, the labs, the medicines. When I had surgery a few years ago I got separate bills from the hospital, the doctor, the anesthesiologist, the radiologist, and the hospital pharmacy.