Not only is there a revenue-side problem, there are problems on the cost side. An acquaintance of mine was prescribed a knee-brace, which was covered by insurance. Well and good, she got her knee brace from an inventory held by the surgeon. She asked if she could have a spare, but was told the insurance wouldn’t cover it. So, she went to Amazon and got the exact same model supplied by the surgeon, and paid around $35. Out of curiosity, she looked to see what the surgeon charged the insurance company. $650. She wrote the insurance company and said (paraphrased of course) “you’re getting done”. The predicable response (paraphrased of course): “Meh”. Why control cost, which requires staff and computers and all that crap, when its a simple matter to crank up revenue by raising prices? The illness-prolongation industry is in desperate need of reform in this country. Sadly, probably the only way to fix it is to let it collapse of its own ponderous inefficiency. The gravy train has too many passengers who will fight tooth and fork to keep it keeping on.