No. of Recommendations: 4
All the single payer advocates on this board will memory-hole this as fast as they can.
Dope brought up a good point. So I asked the net sifter for some numbers.
US health insurance losses to fraud:
U.S. health insurance fraud costs are massive and vary by estimate, ranging from
over $100 billion (combining private, Medicare, Medicaid losses) up to potentially $300 billion or more annually, with some studies showing Medicare/Medicaid alone at $105 billion and private insurers facing huge losses from fraud, waste, and abuse, all contributing to higher premiums and healthcare costs for everyone
$300B, for a population of 343M. $875/person
France:
France's National Health Insurance (CNAM) detects millions in fraud, reaching a record €315 million in 2022, but estimates for total annual losses due to broader "social fraud," including healthcare overbilling, range much higher, with some sources suggesting up to €8 billion, though these figures vary and capture different aspects of fraud, from individual misuse to provider schemes
8B Euros, for a population of 68.6M, or 116 Euros or $136 US/person.
UK:
The UK's National Health Service (NHS) loses over £1.2 billion annually to fraud, with estimates around £1.3 billion or more, impacting patient care by diverting funds for essential services like staff, ambulances, or treatments. This isn't actual identified loss but rather the potential vulnerability, covering crimes by patients (e.g., free prescriptions), staff, contractors (dentists, pharmacists), and procurement issues, with the NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) leading the fight against it
1.3BGBP, for a population of 69M, 18.84GBP, or $25.22 USD/person
In the French, and, to a greater degree in the UK system, most hospitals are directly owned by the national health system, while most GPs own their practices.
Again, if anyone has other numbers, please bring them to the discussion....and check my math. Math and I were never friends.
Steve
