I'll never understand why we pretend that things are this expensive.
USA, of course, because I can't imagine anywhere else in the world working this much harder and not at all smarter.
FYI, Medicare is our government insurance for older or disabled people and is paid for mainly with taxpayer dollars as well as "small" premiums by members.
Because if you don't have Medicare, MediCal, or any other insurance worth a shit, you're not paying just $38. You're paying the full $679.
True, but that doesn't make it worth $679.
Ah. I misunderstood what the argument was; sounded like you were wondering why people say the prices are so high because you only paid $38.
One explanation for the costs I've seen is that big companies seek discounts for the insurance they provide, so hospitals started just inflating the prices to give them a perceived discount without having to basically sell at a cost to them. Somehow those just became the regular prices everyone pays, and it's ridiculous. Like it might cost $100 for a single Aspirin.
I read it this way too.