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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
In fairness to the hospitals, there are two major factors when it comes to their routine overcharges.
1) They expect to be bargained down by the insurance companies, who pushed - years back - for steeper discounts because of how many patients they were referring to the hospitals and subsequently paying for, as well as wanting to demonstrate their value to the insured. Because of that, hospitals started raising the rates on everything so they had a better starting bargaining position - essentially a Lensman Arms Race, except with money. Thus, when someone without insurance gets the bill, they're left in a horrible spot.
2) Subsidizing the cost of other, seldom-used equipment. Because none of the specialized equipment is mass-produced (not exactly much demand for them), they cost an arm and a leg - and foisting that cost solely on the patients that use them isn't the best idea, in part because of the above, and in part because of the PR nightmare that lay in wait for doing so. So defraying the cost among all the other patients who use your service seems much more attractive by comparison.
Edited by ironballs16 on May 13th 2019 at 4:01:28 AM
"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"The insurance companies, amazingly, aren't the villains either because the pharmaseutical companies have been charging them ridiculous amounts of money because they know while the consumer won't pay them—the insurance companies can be forced to.
It's assholes all the way down.
Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.All joking aside, due to what the British empire was involved in at the time, it is actually partially true.
I can't stand tea with milk.
You and me both.
Cool. The Welsh created the US. Now that's spin.
RE: Trump and 4th of July. I believe he's already claimed some victory over reinstating 4th of July fireworks at Mt Rushmore so that should probably key everyone in on what to expect on that date.
RE: Welsh emigrants. The myth I've always had is that the reason there isn't a strong Welsh-American cultural identity (or any Welsh-X identity, Patagonia the only exception) is that Welsh people are very good at mixing in with the local population, so you never get that somewhat separate community that first generation immigrants build a culture around. Don't know how true it is but that's what I've always been told.
Really doesn't help that Wales was the first neighboring kingdom to be subjugated and colonized by England during the reign of Edward I, who then failed to repeat his conquest of Wales in Scotland. That bought the Scots more than enough time to muster an effective resistance against the English over the next centuries.
Ah yes, the Supreme Court as an institution is totally worth saving. -_-
If Court Packing becomes politically viable then we should do it.
Edited by Fourthspartan56 on May 13th 2019 at 6:11:25 AM
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangIn what world is this possibly true? Jackson wouldn't have been able to ignore its orders if this were true.
The Supreme Court matters but to Claim it's more important than the Presidency and Congress is ridiculous.
"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji YangWithout dedicated reform, the Supreme Court will be a license for the right-wing to stomp on whoever they see fit and cripple the opposition. For the rest of our lives.
As much as I would like for a president to tell the Supreme Court to go fuck itself when it declares [insert left-wing cause here] unconstitutional, I don't think we live in a world where that president could get away with it.
You have to keep in mind that the situation with Jackson completely defying the Supreme Court is a case of Early-Installment Weirdness in real life. The exact amount of power the Supreme Court has wasn't set in stone back then. Currently, the Supreme Court is functionally the last word in the US government (short of a constitutional amendment).
Edited by Protagonist506 on May 13th 2019 at 6:42:35 AM
Leviticus 19:34I'm reminded of when President James Buchanan tried to strong arm a leading Democrat senator, Stephan Douglas to vote to approve of the (rigged) pro-slavery Constitution of Kansas over the objections of the state's population. He threatened political retaliation to ruin Douglas, warning him that since Andrew Jackson no Democrat had ever gone against their own administration and survived.
Douglas's response?
"Mr. President, Andrew Jackson is dead."
Edited by Parable on May 13th 2019 at 7:12:30 AM

Sense, but you'd think the hospital would offer it as a courtesy instead of surcharging it.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"