The Dialysis Duopoly Spends $100 Million to Protect Profits in California https://prospect.org/article/dialysis-duopoly-spends-100-million-protect-profits-california
“With Medicare for All being discussed in national circles, the situation with the dialysis providers is instructive. Faced with a single-payer system with lower reimbursement rates for their service, the dialysis industry bankrolled a charity to shift people into private insurance and jack up the cost. We don’t know what loopholes might enter the picture under Medicare for All, but the dialysis duopoly scam bears watching as a potential tactic. It speaks to how resourceful medical providers might be in their vigorous opposition to single-payer, and why politicians need to be mindful of their power.”
““I feel like it’s an unfair business practice all of us are paying for,” said Wood, who’s hopeful the bill will pass. “For me the bigger part of this is that, we’re trying to make sure we get access to care for as many people as possible, you can’t do that if you can’t contain costs.””
Medicynical note: In medicine as in other capitalistic enterprises the goal is to become a monopoly, gouge your customers and then fight like mad to protect your profits. Patient care. Access? Good outcomes? Value. All are nice goals but not a really the primary aim of the endeavor. It’s $ucce$$ is mea$ured by other parameter$$$$$.
Medicynic 