Study: 31% of for-profit healthcare costs goes to profit and overhead

[Mairead]

REUTERS - A comparison of health care costs has found that 31 cents of every dollar spent on health care in the United States pays administrative costs, nearly double the rate in Canada.

http://www.prorev.com (points to NYT article)

That is nearly 4x the rate for Medicare (8%) and the 'nearly double' for Canada used to be 'more than double', til the Canadian right-wingers started meddling (see Woolhandler et al.'s original study).

So this is what we're talking about with all the non-single-payer proposals: profit of 8 to 24 cents out of every dollar.

How an anyone not support single-payer?

[wryter2000]

1. Thank you for putting "for-profit" in there

I work for a non-profit HMO, and there's a world of difference between the profit HMO's and the non-profits. Most people lump all HMO's together, and that's not fair.

[Mairead]

2. You're welcome--I try to be scrupulous

[pansypoo53219]

3. DUH

why i am all for single payer.

[loyalsister]

4. Many people who are

are also pragmatic enough to know it has no chance in hell of passing. It is just not sensible to assume that this is something that can be done overnight.

[acerbic]

7. Quite a dilemma:

If the first improvement is to just enhance the old system to include the currently uninsured by giving them government subsidies that allow them to buy insurance, it will give the insurance and HMO parasites more money and power to block real reforms...

[AP]

5. How much goes to stifling debate of alternatives to their rape

of people's savings?

[gratuitous]

6. Sorry . . .

That information's classified. Trade secret.

[LimpingLib]

8. GOP..greed. Democrats.......(in the words of Stalin)...worthless

GOP opposes it because it would destroy their world mission which is to keep as many (brown) people as possible either dirt poor or keep as many (white) people struggling to keep their head above water .

The Democrats (rank and file) that oppose single payer are simply lousey and wont fight for anything. (Reminds me of the 2 different opinions Truman and Stalin had of each other..Truman when he met Stalin talked about how he was such a neat guy...Stalin talked about his impression of Trueman as a guliable geek and "worthless" ) The GOP elites love seeing the Democratic base talk like a bunch of politicians and say "it isnt practicle" as an excuse to basicaly wuss out of fighting. The cigar puffing pale faced fat cat looks at us and says "worthless" then checks out the latest news on his Hartford investments .

Anyway single payer is "practical" when we have Democratic canidates that support it that we can vote for and when we have Nader (hopefully) if that doesnt work out . Hey even Al Gore supports single payer NOW and in 2000 his health care views were carbon copys of Bush/Liebermann . Imagine that the man who won more votes than any President but Ronald Regan would implement single payer health care. And yet the base here runs tail tucked in butt cheek away from even the idea of single payer as "impossible to pass ... the Delay congress is forever ..dont fight ...suck up" .

[Desertrose]

9. well put & so true!

"Anyway single payer is "practical" when we have Democratic candidates that support it that we can vote for..."


If you continually say something can't be done...then it can't...
but if you believe and act "as if"...then you're halfway there.....


Peace...and Dennis Kucinich for prez!!

DR