Here’s what I put as a comment on Krugman’s article. The next time you two have lunch, maybe you can ask him directly.
I am not sure it is a health care “cost” problem so much as a health care “price” problem. How much does this stuff need to cost, and how much of the price is excessive profit and wasted administrative overhead added on at every stage down the line. Does it really cost $60 for a hospital to do a diabetes blood test using the same meter and strip I use at home? And if that price is the real cost, how come some people (like big rich insurance companies) pay only a fraction of it, while an individual paying cash pays the sticker price? Can somebody study this and find out what is really going on?
Here’s what I put as a comment on Krugman’s article. The next time you two have lunch, maybe you can ask him directly.