We say healthcare is broken. It’s not.
It is working exactly as intended.
Everything we experience in healthcare is intentional.
The system is designed this way.
When we receive a bill from the hospital with an outrageously high number, that is not the function of a broken process.
The hospital over charges to maximize reimbursement from insurance.
Insurance pre-negotiates the rates with the hospital, so no matter what the bill is, the hospital already knows what it is going to be paid.
And frankly, insurers are fine with higher costs from hospitals, it justifies premium hikes, narrower networks, and worse coverage.
Frankly, insurers are fine with higher costs from hospitals, it justifies premium hikes, narrower networks, and worse coverage. Click To Tweet
When your prescription is not covered, that’s no accident.
It is because other companies are working to maximize their earnings, not deliver good healthcare to you.
If a doctor wants to spend 40 minutes with you but can only spend 7, there is a reason for that.
She has to chart, bill, oversee operations, do admin work, fight with insurers, all of which is again, intentional.
Everything we experience in healthcare is intentional. The system is designed this way.
The healthcare system is not designed for health.
It is designed to treat sickness.
Your doctor does not get paid for not seeing you because you are healthy.
The hospital doesn’t make any money when you avoid surgery.
Pharmaceutical companies can’t make money when you don’t need blood pressure medicine.
Our system is not broken.
It is working exactly as it was designed.
The problem is, we have the wrong system.