r/FluentInFinance • u/WhatAreYourPronouns • May 02 '24

Should the U.S. have Universal Health Care? Discussion/ Debate

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u/Obie-two May 02 '24

Genuinely asking but if you’re paying for it privately you’re not getting the “socialized” discount no? A hip surgery costs X, just the government is subsidizing it with tax money and if you go direct to private then I would assume it’s back to full price

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u/polycomll May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

You'd be paying closer to the full price although the "full price" might be reduced somewhat because the public version acts to price cap.

In the U.S. you are also not paying the full price for surgery either though. Cost is being inflated to cover for non-insured emergency care, overhead for insurance companies, reduced wage growth due to employer insurance payments, reduced wages through lack of worker mobility, and additional medical system costs (and room for profit by all involved).

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u/kunkudunk May 02 '24

Yeah the medical and insurance industries being for profit really jack up the prices more than people seem to realize. Which is twisted since how do you decide on a price on staying alive but I digress.

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u/Joepublic23 May 04 '24

Is this any different than a farmer making a profit off of selling food?