Casar Aurelius

Question: Are insurance companies to blame for high medical cost?

I know there are other factors such as smokers/obese people, lawsuits, and people who don't pay their bills. But i'm wondering if insurance companies are one of the biggest reasons to blame for the ridiculously high cost of medical services and equipment? The reason I wonder is because the prices of medical care are so ridiculously high, but it seems like doctors can simply charge any price they want, no matter how ridiculous, because the insurance company will simply pay it. Unlike if someone was actually paying out of pocket and would actually say your out of your mind for charging that much, you won't get my business . I mean, seriously, even if doctors charged $70 per hour, thats still a high wage for them, and it wouldn't be too unreasonable for an hour of medical work, yet I hear of doctors performing various simple procedures that take like 5-15 minutes and charging hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars. Same thing with medical equipment. It seems any device classified as a piece of medical equipment sells for 10 times what it should reasonably cost to make it. Any level headed person would say they are insane for charging that much. But insurance companies simply pay it, and pass the cost on to the people. Making it so the people are basically getting ripped off through no choice of their own. And making it so people who don't have insurance simply cannot afford to have any care. PS: Another example of medical equipment. Just look at a hoverround wheelchair I've seen the retail price on those be over $9000, just for a middle class one. For a freaking electric wheelchair, that isn't even very great quality since they break down alot. You can purchase a brand new kia or hyundai car for like $7000-$9000. Ridiculous.

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare quotes from different companies: INSUREINFO.US