this is my first post to a blog! :> i learned something very interesting two days ago about the forces in healthcare driving up cost. i used to think that hospitals charged alot so that they could "maximize reimbursement" from insurance companies. it's true, but another more devious reason is to torture insurance companies who refuse to accept negotiated terms from a hospital. so it goes like this. if a patient shows up to a hospital with insurance, but their insurance company hasn't prenegotiated a discounted fee, the insurance company by law has to pay the full sticker price, just like uninsured people. this superhigh cost is used as a whip by hospitals to encourage insurance companies to set up contracts with hospitals which brings them business. not that one should feel at all bad about insurance companies facing this economic sanction... it's just another example of unregulated capitalism, titans fighting titans in the guise of democracy and freedom, with unfortunate consequences for anyone accidentally caught without insurance. i pledge allegiance to the flag for which it stands, one nation under god. ya know, maybe this is why insurance companies charge more for patients who use hospital services out of "network." they are shifting the cost once again to the individual... what a lovely game.