That is not a useful statistic here. We are talking about an individual’s financial obligations in a medical emergency. A $10,000 bill is not 2% of an individual’s yearly spending.
You’re missing the bigger picture. It’s worthwhile improving transparency around the vast majority of healthcare needs/spending. ER costs are also a problem, but it’s an orthogonal issue. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
No, I don't oppose hospital price transparency. My comment was basically a procedural one. Saying that ER visits are 2% of nationwide costs does not meaningfully address the toplevel poster's concerns.
> ER costs are also a problem, but it’s an orthogonal issue.
It's natural to want to discuss this orthogonal issue, and the solutions to the two issues are not mutually exclusive.
