Yes our medical costs have been rising over the rate of Inflation for the past 3 decades, but the Fed is busy making sure that overall inflation is down and bank interest rates are low. Priorities people! And then the recession hit, people lost their jobs and in turn their insurance. And with wages tight that trip to the ER to get that ear wax removal or wart ass cream suddenly seems less a priority. As the American Unicorn Mythology likes to believe its the great unwashed who are crowding ER's and causing costs to rise, no its the insured making sure they get their overpaid premium worth.
There is no clear cut explanation as to why but I think its the money and costs. They are out of reach and even when you have Insurance, co-pays, deductibles and well time off of work make the idea of health care seem less essential.
What this also means is that the Medicare bonanza blue light rush special that causes apoplexy to many in the Dysfunction Junction is not quite the crisis it appears. It has currently flattened, not flat lined, in fact in those States deepest hit by the recession. You would think they would be the first at the Doctor getting those nice legally prescribed mood enhancements for Depression, but no.
From 2009 to 2011, total health spending grew at the lowest rate in over 52 years and continued. Medicare spending has only risen by 0.4%. Oh no Granny is meeting her death panel right now! Overall spending was jut at 3% the slowest in a over a decade.
Now this little gem likely won't last. Doctor's have car payments and the new Mercedes is being released soon. But if this lasts we might see a lower GDP in overall health costs related to the budget and in turn overall wage increases in individuals. But we still are on the teeter totter here as we have no way of knowing how long this will last. Rising health care costs are the greatest threat to our Nation's health. Fiscal cliff meet Dr. Doom, he is pushing you off and then at least he will fix you when you land, for a nice fee.
Which brings me to the second article. This was research into finding the costs across the country for a hip replacement. The range ran from $11,000 to $125,798, a factor of 10.
The research found that across the board only about half the hospitals, ranking from the top orthopedic centers to community hospitals could provide a price estimate of the procedure. Gee and I thought that was one of the many ideas batted about during the last Presidential campaign, getting care estimates and shopping for health care. Well it beats the whole bartering thing of a couple years earlier.
The lack of transparency, communication and well information shows that our system of health care is not well regulated, well not well , if at all. And the disparities are not just price and in turn quality. They found highly rated Hospitals with very approachable and affordable pricing. What was disturbing was the lack of consistency with they "type" of care, meaning the high end hip replacements vs standard ones and the lack of justification and in turn data to support why one is "better" than the other.
The variation in kind just looking at one type of replacement for the same patient shows that profit not care is the model. But that it also means you have to shop until you drop, maybe literally, to find quality and affordable care. Not everyone has that luxury or time when you are ill. And that assumes you have done prior research and know exactly your options and the appropriate care you will need in which to recover. Web MD might be a little lacking in some cases but hey it's free!
Like buying a car you have to do your research, compare the brands, find out the data and in turn call every dealer in town for the best deal. And even then you have to make sure that this car is not a lemon in disguise. No one knows if that BMW has a VW engine really unless you have had it checked under the hood. So the Doctor is in this case the Engine and how do you know he/she is good? It never ends.
Medicine its smoke its mirrors, its sleight of hand and its a hot mess. Welcome to America.
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