Hacker News Reader

Comment by vasco | Hacker News Reader

How do the hospitals get payed if people can't pay them? Do people go to jail because they had no money when they were about to die?

This looks as efficient to hospitals as writing a bill to a rock or a tree

View on HN

There is the HCRA surcharge (at least in New York state) that gets applied to many hospital and physician services. Part of the money from that is used to pay for these hospital services.

Edit: Clarification

The hospital charges the rich people more. It's socialized medicine, just set up differently than people expect.

Not quite. The rich people have insurance policies that put the screws to the hospital to get an amazingly good deal. The make-up money comes from people who have crappy insurance policies and/or just enough money to pay. If you can spend the rest of your life paying off your hospital stay, you will.

The rich people have insurance policies that put the screws to the hospital to get an amazingly good deal. The make-up money comes from people who have crappy insurance policies and/or just enough money to pay.

Hospitals over-charge a lot. If you call hospital billing and negotiate a bit, you can get a much lower bill.

If you can spend the rest of your life paying off your hospital stay, you will.

Well this part, I'm OK with. I will gladly take credit on my future earning in exchange for a shot at having future earnings.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com