• naeap@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        8·
        2 hours ago

        But in this graph it’s correct, isn’t it?

        A bit of a strange choice of axis, but technically it’s correct, I think.
        We see how during COVID people died earlier although expenses went up (didn’t check the dates, but I guess that’s the thing?), and afterwards expenses went down, but people grow older again
        Or do I completely misunderstand this?

        • Farid@startrek.websiteEnglish
          2·
          49 minutes ago

          Yeah, it’s correct. What they did is, for every year they place a dot with respect to x and y axis, then connected the dots. An unusual graph, but works well for this situation, IMO.

  • will_a113@lemmy.mlEnglish
    6·
    5 hours ago

    Can you guess when HMOs became a thing (and Blue Cross converted from not-for-profit to for-profit)?

      • will_a113@lemmy.mlEnglish
        7·
        3 hours ago

        I was asking rhetorically since the graph makes it pretty obvious, but actually re-reading this article it’s a bit more complex than I recalled. There was basically some legislation in the mid 1970s that made them possible, the model grew through the 80s, but by the late 80s low-rent HMOs had taken over, and a crippling combo of regulation (to create new barriers to entry) and deregulation (for the existing guys) basically cemented the for-profit HMO/PPO providers that we all know and love (haha) by the 1990s. Had we held out for another decade we probably would have seen socialized medicine by the Clinton-era, but instead we got this graph, where we pay more and get less than everyone else, and half the country thinks it’s a great idea.