You mean minimum wage hikes come out of *our* pockets?

[That Guy]

well for healthcare to go down, there need to be some changes that i don't see happening.

- price transparency, which is a big problem, but also doesn't save any money by itself unless we go from deductable plans to
- coinsurance, even if it's only 10%, means that people won't choose a $500,000 procedure when a $50,000 procedure will do.
- much more emphasis on preventative/proactive care. ie, get your yearly (or how ever often) cancer screening = you're covered for cancer related issues. at least in cases where being proactive is a big cost savings. giving away floss and toothpaste is much cheaper overall vs filling cavities and making crowns.
- independent medical cost boards like MD has that set reasonable rates and aren't influenced by lobbying (MD has some of the lowest medical costs in the US)
Has Maryland found a solution to the U.S. healthcare cost crisis?

of course, the problems are that there are cross interests. the population wants to keep costs down, but hospitals make more money off surgeries than screenings, and drug companies MUCH rather get you on a product that requires long term daily use vs a one shot cure. changing things dramatically also involves a lot of effort.

still, bluecross is giving people $100/year (after costs) to get physicals done. it's not much, but it's something.