The health care system is going to crash and burn.

[MaxGrit]

Costs are going wild due to a non-transparent market where consumers can't see the price until they get the bill.

For many, the cost is subsidized by the government. Why should they care about upfront prices? It's free for them.

Then there's EMTALA forcing ED to admit everyone, no matter what. On Medicaid and want to get high? Go to the ED with pain. They have to give you pain meds. Have a sore throat and a headache? ED.

Then there's the Medicare D which can't negotiate price with pharmas. Profit margin 1000% on medical devices. Doctors biased toward procedures that pays well in cases where studies show similar efficacy compared to to the older, cheaper procedure. Pharm reps pushing new drugs that are 100x more expensive, but not shown to be better than the old. The list goes on and on.

Crony capitalism combined with rampant progressivism/liberalism/socialism. It's going to crash and burn before people wise up.

My health insurance, nonsmoking:

3 years ago it was $140/month.

2 years ago it was $170/month.

last year:

$300/month

That's because it has to cover ripoff gouging, like the new $1000/pill medicine for Hep. C.

$84,000 for one full course of treatment. Double that if one course doesn't do the trick.

$250 to manufacture one full course. 33600% profit.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - people don't wanna enroll `cause dey can't afford it...

Testers Say Healthcare.gov Still Running Slowly
March 26, 2014 - WASHINGTON (AP) — If you're waiting until the last minute to sign up for coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law, a little extra patience might come in handy.

HealthCare.gov, the online portal to taxpayer-subsidized health insurance, runs slowly when compared with major private health insurer websites. That's according to an analysis for The Associated Press by Compuware, a Detroit company that measures website performance. The tests found that response time for HealthCare.gov averaged nearly nine seconds nationally over the seven-day period that ended Tuesday. Generally, response time for leading private health insurance websites averages just under five seconds. Based on that real-world comparison, Compuware says the speed of HealthCare.gov is "unacceptable."

On the positive side, HealthCare.gov was available more than 98 percent of the time, about average for the industry. Compuware defines "response time" as the time it takes a first-time user to load the home page for a given website. The company's tests did not attempt to go through the entire process of applying for health insurance, which involves submitting personal and income details, getting the information verified by government agencies, and finally selecting a plan. This week is crunch time for the federal health care website. Open enrollment ends Monday. After March 31 most consumers will have to wait until Nov. 15 for their next chance to sign up and receive tax credits to help pay their premiums.

The administration said late Tuesday that people who've started applying for health insurance but aren't able to finish before the March 31 deadline will get extra time. It was unclear how long the extension would last. "As a taxpayer I'd be thinking, did we get our money's worth?" said Michael Smith, Compuware's vice president for engineering. "I'd be very concerned coming up against a deadline. ... My main concern is how would this site stand up under load?" Health and Human Services Department spokesman Aaron Albright brushed off the findings. HealthCare.gov had more than 1 million visits Monday and was holding up well, he said, unlike what happened in October when the site was down most of the time.

MORE

See also:

HHS Grants Extra Time for Last-Minute Obamacare Subscribers to Enroll
March 26, 2014 - WASHINGTON (AP) — People who've started applying for health insurance but aren't able to finish before the March 31 enrollment deadline will get extra time, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.

"We are experiencing a surge in demand and are making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment, either online or over the phone," Health and Human Services spokesman Aaron Albright said. The White House is scrambling to meet a goal of 6 million signed up through new online markets that offer subsidized private health insurance to people without access to coverage on the job. The HealthCare.gov website got more that 1 million visitors Monday, and the administration also wants to prevent a repeat of website problems that soured consumers last fall.

Officials said the grace period will be available to people on the honor system, meaning applicants will have to attest that special circumstances or complex cases prevented them from finishing by March 31. It's unclear how long the extension will last. Some have urged the administration to allow until April 15, the tax filing deadline. People who are due refunds may be willing to put some of that money toward health care premiums. The latest tweak to the health care rollout is certain to infuriate Republican critics of President Barack Obama's signature law. It follows delays of the law's requirements that medium-sized to large employers provide coverage or face fines. The GOP is making repeal of the health care law its rallying cry in the fall congressional elections.

The White House had signaled last week that a grace period of some sort was in the works. Spokesman Jay Carney said Friday that people in line by the deadline would be able to complete their applications. Administration officials argue that's not extending the deadline. They compare it to the Election Day practice of allowing people to vote if they are in line when the polls close. The decision to grant extra time was first reported late Tuesday by The Washington Post.

The administration's decision affects the 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead on sign-ups. The 14 states running their own websites are likely to follow, since some had been pressing for an extension on account of their own technical problems. Brian Haile, senior vice president for health policy at the Jackson Hewitt tax preparation firm, welcomed the move. "The disbursement of tax refunds appears to be making a substantial difference in the willingness and ability of uninsured Americans to sign up for ... coverage," Haile said. Jackson Hewitt projects the administration can meet the goal of 6 million only if it allows people to keep signing up through April 15. Enrollment has already crossed the 5 million mark.

HHS Grants Extra Time for Last-Minute Obamacare Subscribers to Enroll | CNS News

 

[william the wie]

While the OP is right the bigger problem is that while even pre-existing conditions must be covered, the drugs and specialists needed to do so are not required.