What’s something that has no right being as expensive as it is?
What’s something that has no right being as expensive as it is?
Healthcare in the US.
I went to the ER with my partner over a bit of a scare with some intense abdominal pain late at at night a few months ago. We were mostly ignored for about two hours in an empty ER room, and she received a chest x-ray and blood work. She had to go to the bathroom and one point, and they let her take off the pulse monitor on her finger. She didn't put it back on later and it was left flatlining for the remainder of our time sitting there.
They couldn't diagnose anything, and they ended up sending a bill (after insurance) for 3k+ of "level 5" (apparently the highest) emergency room care.
I don't claim to know much about how medical billing/expenses work, but it's just really sad and frustrating.
Well, I believe the meta-question here is: why aren't we experiencing Moore's Law rates of efficiency in all aspects of human life? Doubling in performance every two years or so. Even if pricing remains relatively constant. I think it's sort of the basis of "Progress Studies". Look to areas that have kept up with Moore's Law (such as GPUs) and try to work backwards. Competition, R&D spend, relentless focus on innovation in consumer products, global distribution and the willingness to foster talent required to achieve those relentless milestones. Seems to be lacking almost everywhere except computational architectures (and perhaps payloads to low earth orbit) ;)
Good bikes. Apart from not being available atm solid ones start around 1000$ and have no upper bound. Something with full suspension or carbon is +1000$
Re-useable stuff: we have these silicon containers as a substitute for sandwich bags, they are ridiculously expensive. Cloth diapers vs disposable. Places where there is kind of an inversion, and the re-useable version, which at some point would have been used by those too poor to get something disposable (like diapers) is now a luxury item.
Broadband internet, the Telcos got billions, decades ago, to fund broadband everywhere, and basically skipped with the money.
Real estate agents,
Laptops with 16GB RAM
Mobile internet in Germany.
Rent. (I'm in Sydney)
Also, public transport should be free.
Building materials, right now.