The problem with the "insurance" companies is that they're not really insurance companies anymore. As the current top comment by raintrees points out, our so called "insurance" is acting far less as insurance (coverage in the case of a major but unlikely incident), but additionally standard payment for regular healthcare services. And this creates all manner of perverse incentives that messes with the pricing and makes it more expensive for everyone.
Ironically, when I had a bout of un-/under-employment in the 2008-2009 downturn, my only option for medical care was to ration my healthcare services to those actually needed, and pay cash when I actually received service. I paid less per service individually by paying cash (doctors, imaging, and testing clinics, etc, all really like cash, it makes their life much simpler). And overall I paid less by paying only for the services I needed when I needed it, instead of paying into some high monthly payment to have a battery of services I may or may not ever need pre-selectedly available for me.
I think healthcare costs would come down for most if we could get back to something approximating that: medical insurance being actually and only medical insurance -- covering high cost emergencies to prevent such from breaking one financially -- and covering only that. Paying for day-to-day regular medical services can and should be handled differently. In all fairness, I don't know how to get there, and I don't know what the options for the latter would look like, or what they should be. But I do think it would be helpful in the near and long term to put our energies in that direction.
Ironically, when I had a bout of un-/under-employment in the 2008-2009 downturn, my only option for medical care was to ration my healthcare services to those actually needed, and pay cash when I actually received service. I paid less per service individually by paying cash (doctors, imaging, and testing clinics, etc, all really like cash, it makes their life much simpler). And overall I paid less by paying only for the services I needed when I needed it, instead of paying into some high monthly payment to have a battery of services I may or may not ever need pre-selectedly available for me.
I think healthcare costs would come down for most if we could get back to something approximating that: medical insurance being actually and only medical insurance -- covering high cost emergencies to prevent such from breaking one financially -- and covering only that. Paying for day-to-day regular medical services can and should be handled differently. In all fairness, I don't know how to get there, and I don't know what the options for the latter would look like, or what they should be. But I do think it would be helpful in the near and long term to put our energies in that direction.