The United States Government has shut down over President Obama’s healthcare law. It is ridiculous that it has even got this bad and no agreement has been made.
Watch the video above to hear about the full story.
What do you think? Yay or Nay healthcare law?
A recent study by the Competition Commission found that patients in the UK are paying far too much for private care (dentistry, hospitals, etc) because there is a lack of competition to drive down prices.
Their report shows that over 100 private hospitals in the UK are in uncompetitive areas with very little competition to offer. This allows them to demand higher fees and leave customers with little options of where else to turn.
For most people they do not see this as much of a problem. Around 80% of people that have private health care, have it paid for through a medical insurance company such as Bupa. In many cases this insurance is paid for their employers.
The problem is, the high profit margins that hospitals are making tends to come out on patients premiums. The insurers prices are set on a national scale, so little to no competition makes little difference. But it is believed that with the lack of competition across many areas of the UK, it is causing premiums to go up.
This is clearly unfair for anyone that lives in a less competitive area.
Have you noticed you are paying more for your healthcare? Are there not many private hospitals in your area?
The counter argument to the idea of “paying too much” is, these hospitals are private businesses and can charge whatever they choose. As any business can. The option is always there for NHS if you are unable to afford their prices.
While that is a good point. Does that mean it is acceptable to charge higher in some areas because their is less competition?
If they want to charge very high prices, that is fine. But is it fair that someone has to pay extra because there is little local competition around? Personally, I think not.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.