Originally Posted by flstf

One would think that getting people to buy health care like other consumer services in a competitive environment would be a good thing and result in choices that result in better service at lower prices. The problem is that for much of health care there seems to be little or no competition and it is almost impossible to get bids and compare service for many illness/accident situations. We seem to be at the mercy of whatever hospitals/doctors/dentists choose to charge with little recourse to lower our costs by shopping around. I have yet to have a serious illness or injury but shopping around for even basic care has resulted in little or no competitive pricing.

Most hospitals/doctors/dentists are not prepared to give bids or prices for their services and many don't want to be bothered when you try. Also if you have an emergency condition it is usually impossible to get competitive pricing even if you are in good enough condition to try.

Also shopping around for insurance, we have not found much difference in their prices either. The best we have been able to do is find a company that offers large deductible ($10,000) in order to keep our cost under $400 a month and we have no preconditions. I don't really blame insurance companies for charging so much due to the out of control underlying costs which I believe will eventually be out of reach for many more people. That is why I have come to believe that like national defense which is also very expensive and necessary that perhaps it is time for the government to provide it. There are too many people (even with insurance) at risk of losing everything they have worked for due to medical costs.