Replies to post #135228 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[rollingrock]

you are making things up. It's
disgusting. As for a union I'm making more money now that I'm not in one. A lot more. Doing the same job in the same place and better conditions so again you have no clue what you are talking about.

[PegnVA]

Here's another example of why hospital costs are high...
Today's NYT has a story about University Medical Center in Las Vegas, NV - TIPPING THE ODDS FOR A MAKER OF HEART IMPLANTS.
Some of UMC's cardiologists are paid consultants for BIOTRONIK, a manufacturer of pacemakers and defibrillators, and earn fees as high as $5,000/month. BIOTRONIK has cornered the market on pacemakers and defibrillators...last year 250 of the 263 patients, or 95% who had a heart device implanted at UMC got one made by BIOTRONIK.
A federal investigation is examining BIOTRONIK's marketing and sales practices.
A heart device, which can cost up to $35,000, has among the highest profit margin of any medical product - upwards of 25%.
Other corporations who manufacture heart devices are St. Jude Medical, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. In January, St. Jude Medical paid $16 million to settle federal charges accusing it of giving kickbacks to doctors so that they would participate in medical studies of the company's product.