GrokTV Event – Rumney home event for Ovide Lamontagne (Candidate, NH Governor) – Question 4: Pricing and access competition in the medical industry. - Granite Grok

GrokTV Event – Rumney home event for Ovide Lamontagne (Candidate, NH Governor) – Question 4: Pricing and access competition in the medical industry.

The questioners at the Rumney home event held for  Ovide Lamontagne  were not done talking about medicine, Obamacare, and how Ovide Lamontagne would try to address their concerns in this time of medical uncertainty here in NH as he runs to be the net NH Governor.  They are scared of Obamacare, having to outsource decisions to a single one-size-fits-all Government mandate and not at all sure that it will actually meet their needs.  But this question also brought up one of the most significant problems in today’s healthcare system: little openness in determining pricing.  Why should there be?  The Federal Government, via Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare (military), is now already “making the market” in healthcare.  Notice that I did NOT say “free market” – there is very little of that given the Big Elephant in the room – third party payers, be it the Govt or insurance companies.

Which gives rise to this scenario in Question 4:  how to determine real costs where those costs are either determined by fiat (the Government) or in contracts not viewable to patients?

Competition in the medical industry.  I want to have a test done and I have to pay for it myself.  I start to call around and I find the best place for me to have it done is Concord Hospital. But in order to go to Concord Hospital, I have to hire a physician at Concord Hospital because my physician cannot send me to Concord Hospital. There’s a problem with that system!

Previous:

  • Ovide’s talk
  • Question 1:  The Speaker has announced that he wants to cut an additional 2% out of the budget. what are your feelings on that?
  • Question 2:  Last year, the health insurance at the bank increased by 7%.  We just got new numbers for this year:14%. You know, last time we talked you wanted to join the fight against Obamacare and now the Supreme Court has come out with their ruling. What can you do for the State of NH against Obamacare at this point?
  • Question 3:  Do any tort reform in the State in order to help us?
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